Darkest Side of Me
by RertyanTheDark
Summary: Post 423; Ichigo starts to regain his powers after two long years, but what else emerges when he and Rukia are reunited? And will their bond be torn apart by his darkest side? T for swearing, Ichiruki primary.
1. Chapter 1

_**Brief: **Just over two years after he lost his Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo starts being able to sense spirits again, but what else will emerge as his powers start to re-emerge?_

_**Spoiler Warnings: **Post 423: Farewell Swords_

_**Note:** If you are looking for the continuation of my After the Winter War series, this is not it! **This is separate to my other works!**_

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki (of course), IshiHime, possible others include RenTats, ByaHis_

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><p><strong>Darkest Side of Me<strong>

**Chapter 1: The Soul in the Road**

"And remember, class," Ochi-sensei shouted over the unruly group as they packed their bags to leave the building. "That assignment is to be handed in on Monday morning without fail! That means you, Asano!"

The orange-haired 18-year-old slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out of the room, his free-hand shoved into his pocket. The ex-substitute Soul Reaper had changed by a fair amount in the last two and a bit years since his powers had faded away. He had let his hair grow out a bit to the stage where it was like the shaggy locks he possessed after his training in the Dongai and he had grown a few inches taller, but his muscular physique had remained, a cruel reminder of his previous experiences. He had told his friends about what he had been doing and why he had acted so strangely shortly after he lost the very thing which made him do those strange actions. They had taken it well and supported him through the difficult time; the one who had protected them countless times without them knowing had needed the morale boost as the loss of his powers meant he could no longer protect people, and that hurt him deeply.

He walked towards the main gate and stopped with his friends. Keigo was planning yet another trip for the group to 'hook-up', so to speak, but no one was really up for it, especially Uryu and Orihime, who were already together. Ichigo looked at them enviously, remembering the night when the Quincy had finally admitted his love for the girl;

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><p><em>Ichigo sat in the restaurant with Orihime, who finally plucked up the courage to ask him out, staring at her as she babbled on for a while about something she and Tatsuki had been talking about during school the previous day. It did not take long for her twig that he was a little distant.<em>

"_What's wrong, Ichigo?" she asked. His eyes seemed to tell her that he was in a state of depression. "You aren't enjoying this, are you?"_

_Ichigo looked her in the eyes and held her hand which was outstretched on the tabletop, running a thumb over the back of the appendage._

"_I'm sorry, Orihime," he replied softly, his tone regretful but sincere. "I know this isn't what you had hoped for, and I'm to blame for that, but I don't think we are meant to be. You are a wonderful girl, and someone very lucky will be the one to have you as their girlfriend, but I'm afraid that someone won't be me."_

_Orihime looked a little crestfallen, her eyes broke contact with his, but her tone was stable; she was not as cut-up as he had expected._

"_I had a feeling that this wouldn't work out," she said resolutely. "But thank you, Ichigo, for trying at least. I hope we can still be friends after this."_

_Ichigo smiled at her, accepting this, and handed over some money to cover the meal, then apologised again and stood to leave, when he bumped into someone. Looking to the person, he saw Uryu, and apologised for knocking into him._

"_What brings you here, Ichigo?" the archer asked politely, pushing his glasses up his nose a little._

"_Well, I was here with Orihime, but I'm on my way out now," the orange-haired male replied. "It wasn't working out, and we both knew it." He paused, seeing the look of slight joy in Uryu's eyes. "Hey, do you want to take my place instead?I know you like her, so why not make your first move now?"_

_Uryu seemed to think about it briefly, then accepted and Ichigo left the two at the table._

* * *

><p>And ever since, they had been inseparable and madly in love with each other.<p>

"So, you gonna come, Ichigo?" Keigo asked suddenly. Said male turned to his friends.

"No, I promised to look after Karin and Yuzu while dad goes to one of those overnight medical seminars again," he responded, bringing Keigo's mood down into a spiral whereby he went about his business more sulkily than usual. "Anyway, I've got to get home. See you, everyone!"

As he walked off, Ichigo's friends gazed in his direction.

"He's still really down about it, huh?" Keigo said seriously. "I would have thought Ichigo would bounce back pretty quickly from losing his powers, but I guess not, huh?"

"Keigo, it isn't as easy as that for Ichigo," Chad explained. "He enjoyed his powers because they allowed him protect his friends and his family, but now that's gone and he feels powerless in more ways than the obvious."

"Yeah, I know, but it happened over two years ago; when's he going to get over it?"

"He won't," Tatsuki sighed solemnly. "He was like that as a kid too; he won't get over something until it's been overcome, he just suppresses it and keeps it inside. He won't ever start to feel more like himself until he can sense spirits and has his powers back, and that weird guy with the store said that might never happen."

Keigo sighed and looked down the road, Ichigo's orange locks just disappearing into the distance.

"I guess there's nothing we can do but hope," he muttered sadly.

Ichigo trudged onwards, his mood made no better despite the pleasant weather. In his hand was a bunch of flowers which he had bought en route to where he was; the lamp post where a spirit girl was, the vase he had kept there for some time still in its place. Even though he could not see or hear the spirits which floated aimlessly around the World of the Living, he had made a promise to the girl and still kept it. He placed the flowers in the vase and gazed at them with a melancholy smile on his lips.

"They look nice," he said quietly to no one in particular.

"Yes, they do," came a faint voice beside him. Ichigo frowned and turned his head to the right, almost toppling over when he saw the faded image of a brunette girl with a chain jutting from her chest. She smiled to him. "Thank you for keeping up your promise, but you don't have to keep doing this."

"Wha-Wh-" Ichigo gaped. "I can... see you?" His words sounded like gibberish to the gril, who let out a small giggle.

"Of course, how else would we be talking?" she asked.

"But... Then that means..." And then he felt it; a spark in the air around him, like someone had reached out and given him an electric shock. He felt her pressence. "My powers are coming back."

"What's wrong, mister?" the girl asked, cocking her head to one side in a confused look, but Ichigo was already moving quickly.

"Sorry, I'll be back again tomorrow!" he shouted, his mood changed from depressed to upbeat.

He ran to the river bank and gazed out at the river, watching the suns reflection dip in the sparkling mirror-like surface. A smile pressed itself over his face, but then the sound hit him; a sound he had hoped and dreamt to hear again; it was the voice. _Her_ voice.

"How I wish you could see me, Ichigo," the faint voice whispered. "I know what I said that day, but I can't stand you not being able to see me..."

Ichigo turned and acted as if he were just walking passed the place where he knew _she_ was, when he whispered two simple words to her;

"Wish granted."

The Soul Reaper's amethyst eyes shot wide open in shock when Ichigo responded to her plea. She whipped around and found Ichigo facing her, hand in her pocket and a smile on his lips.

"I- Ichigo?" the bemused woman questioned. "You can... You can see me?"

Ichigo responded by walking forwards and wrapping his arms around her small frame. Though he could only see her faintly, his eyes were fast adjusting to her faded form and he could gradually see her more clearly.

"When?" she asked.

"Just now," the human replied, removing his embrace from Rukia. "You mind walking home with me, or are you on a mission?"

The raven-haired woman shook her head and smiled at him.

"I'd like that," she said gratefully. The two walked down the lonely, deserted streets, talking softly to one another. "You let your hair grow out I see."

"So did you," Ichigo returned, gazing at her again. "Is it me, or did you get taller?"

"Yeah, I guess I have grown." Rukia looked at him and Ichigo remembered the last time they had met;

* * *

><p><em>The group had stepped out of Ichigo's house, the orange haired male staring down the street, but he could not see or even sense any spirits. He frowned inwardly and turned to face Rukia as she walked towards him.<em>

Even Rukia's presence,_ he thought, _is fading away a little bit at a time. I'm really gonna lose my powers.

_The two were now stood away from their friends and a few feet apart._

"_This is farewell, Ichigo." Rukia said softly with a weak smile, a hurt look in her eyes, but she suppressed it as best she could. He returned the sad smile._

"_Seems that way, doesn't it?" he replied, trying to stay strong. Rukia seized the moment to lighten the mood a little._

"_What's this? Don't look so sad," she mocked, her arms folded over her chest. "Even if you can no longer see me, I will still be able to see you."_

_Ichigo put on an irritated look, but he inwardly smiled sadly. _I'm going to miss times like these,_ he thought, but he refused to say it out loud, instead opting for;_

"_What the hell? That's nothing to be happy about. And I don't look sad!"_

_The two stayed quiet for a moment, both looking down as Rukia's uniform and form began to fade by her legs. This was it._

"_Tell everybody I said hi," Ichigo mustered, the sadness leaking over his being._

"_Sure," Rukia replied softly as her chest began to disappear from Ichigo's sight; they only had seconds left._

_They turned to look the other in the eyes, both serious now and the saddened look evident in both pairs of eyes. Rukia was finally fading completely, her hair slowing being blotted away._

"_Bye, Rukia," the orange haired boy managed as his friend vanished. He stared out at the space she had been, wanting to tell her how he felt, but he could not manage it. "Thank you."_

_And with that, he had returned to his friends, who consoled him for a while, but he asked to be alone after a while and, once locked away in his room, he let those drops of emotion out finally._

I'm never gonna see her again_, he had thought sadly as he lay on his bed, curled up protectively, as if he were shutting out the world from himself._

* * *

><p>But he had been wrong. Now he could see her, plain as day. Her hair had grown out to her mid-back with a few clusters draped just over her shoulders. The stubborn bang she always had had was still there, but it was longer than before. And the top of her head now reached Ichigo's mouth as opposed to his shoulders. She looked just as good as ever, and Ichigo would have pinched himself to check he was not dreaming, but he did not want to wake up if it was a dream; waking up to realise Rukia was not there would mean his sanity would have been all but lost.<p>

"Did you ever think about me?" she asked suddenly, breaking his chain of thought and sparking another memory;

* * *

><p>"<em>I wonder what Rukia's up to," Keigo asked suddenly. The pair had been stood on the roof and the question had been a surprise to Ichigo.<em>

"_What made her suddenly pop into your head?" he asked suspiciously._

"_Well, it'd be nice if she stopp by and said 'hi' once in a while, wouldn't it? She hasn't shown her face once since all that happened. That's kinda cold, isn't it?"_

_Ichigo refrained from kicked ten types of crap out of Keigo simply because that would make his feelings obvious, plus he had elbow-dropped him that morning._

"_No, it isn't," he explained. "She's not even in charge of Karakura Town, so it's normal for her not to stop by."_

_Despite his words, Ichigo could not help but wonder what she was doing and if she did ever stop by to check on them. He had found it hard to believe that she would disconnect herself from all her friends as well as himself over the situation, but he never asked about it because it would be too painful for him, and he knew it must have hurt her too. Keigo turned his head to Ichigo and frowned._

"_You don't miss her?" he asked, slightly surprised._

Of course I do, you moron! We were good friends, how can I not miss her? _All this and more poured through his head, but he would never bring himself to say them. He instead looked away before replying;_

"_There's no reason to."_

_His words felt unwelcome as he spoke them in an unusually cold tone. As much as he did enjoy the lack of spirits bugging him left right and centre, he also missed Rukia greatly, and would happily trade his normal lifestyle for a chance to see her again and to speak with her like they always used to. Keigo did not seem to believe his answer, but he did not pry and just accepted it; he knew full well that, even one and a half years on, Ichigo was still healing over the loss of his powers and the inability to see his friends in Soul Society._

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><p>Ichigo smiled a little reminiscently.<p>

"Everyday," he answered. "That's not an exaggeration either; there wasn't a day I didn't think about Soul Society or my powers or even hollows, and all of them made me think of you again." The smirk Rukia was giving him made him smile a bit. "I've missed this, Rukia; you know, us talking about everything and nothing..." He paused and gazed at her again. "Why are you back in Karakura suddenly anyway?"

"Head-Captain Yamamoto's been sending Soul Reapers to check up on you since the incident; Urahara explained that there was a chance you would regain your powers, so he took interest in your reiatsu level. I've been going back and forth for the last year and a half, stopping by every week or so."

"God, you sound like such a stalker."

"Baka!" Rukia's eyes narrowed in irritation. "You asked! You're lucky I can't hit you!"

"Alright, I'm sorry. But why you?"

"Since it was me who awoke your Soul Reaper powers all that time ago, the Captains felt that there was a better chance of my reiatsu restarting yours than anyone else's."

Ichigo nodded, taking it in.

"Makes sense, I guess." He stopped as they had reached the Kurosaki Clinic, standing out in the road, smiling to one another. "How long are you hear for?"

"I have to go back to report this new development to the Head-Captain, but I should be back soon," she replied. Ichigo grinned.

"Alright. Tell Gramps I say hi," he chuckled. Rukia stifled a laugh; he had not grown any more mature since they last met. They stopped and he waved to her as they parted. "Bye, Rukia."

The Soul Reaper smiled and waved back, then unsheathed her blade and disappeared through the Senkaimon, leaving the orange-haired young man to walk inside, a look of happiness evident in his eyes as he walked in and was greeted by the twins.

Lying on his bed, Ichigo smiled at the memories of the day he had just had. He felt happier than he had for the last two years, and it was all because of Rukia's return.

"My powers are finally coming back," he mused, when a dark voice echoed through his ears.

"You mean _our_ powers are finally coming back, King!" the voice of his hollow shouted. "You may have been doing nothing, but I've been training these last few years, and I _will_ take over your body! It's just a matter of time!"

The insidious laughter faded slowly, leaving Ihigo slightly worried by the sudden resurfacing of his hollow, but he had had a feeling it would come back with his powers. He rolled over and closed his eyes.

_I sure hope Rukia gets back soon,_ he thought before his tiredness caught up and ensnared him in sleep's gentle grasp.

_To be continued..._

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><p><em>Another Fanfic juggling session has just started!<em>

_Alright, I had this burning up my thought power all week, so I've put this in priority over Black Bloodlust to clear my head._

_I'm working on both simultaneously, but Black Bloodlust is the follow on from After the Winter War. For that Fanfic, here's the link; .net/s/6722221/1/Bleached_Souls_Black_Bloodlust_

_Anyway, I'm off for now._

_By for now and rock on!_

_\m/ \m/ \m/ \m/_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Brief: **Just over two years after he lost his Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo starts being able to sense spirits again, but what else will emerge as his powers start to re-emerge?_

_**Spoiler Warnings: **Post 423: Farewell Swords_

_**Note:** If you are looking for the continuation of my After the Winter War series, this is not it! **This is separate to my other works!**_

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki (of course), IshiHime, possible others include RenTats, ByaHis_

* * *

><p><strong>Darkest Side of Me<strong>

**Chapter 2: Rukia's Orders and Return**

Rukia nervously walked towards the Head-Captain's office. She had only been there a few times, and usually with Byakuya by her side, but this time she was alone. Captain Ukitake had offered to escort her, but he was not in the best of health, so she had reluctantly declined, saying she would be fine.

_Liar,_ Rukia scolded herself. In retrospect, she could have discreetly asked Kiyone or Sentaro to escort her, but she dared not think what that could start. Besides, they were both just as afraid of seeing Yamamoto as she was, and they were in the middle of another squabble. _Seems like some things never change._

Rukia stopped on her walk across the bridge to the Head-Captain's office and allowed a smiled to creep onto her lips as she looked over the railings and spotted the gantry outside of the repentance cell where Ichigo had flown to her aid.

_Baka, _she thought. _You never could let me do want was in your interest if it put me in danger, could you, Ichigo? Maybe that's why I grew so fond of you._

She sighed and turned away from the railing, her hand slipping to her side and her eyes down.

"Stupid idea," she murmured to herself, knowing she could never say those words to him.

"I presume that you are referring to your own thoughts, Miss Kuchiki," came a firm, rough voice from in front of her.

The raven-haired Soul Reaper yelped and jumped backwards in shock as the Head-Captain, Genryusai Yamamoto himself, came into her vision. The old Soul Reaper looked down on her as she fell onto the floor, his left sleeve empty from where he had lost his arm. Despite this, he was still the most powerful Soul Reaper to date and regarded by all who knew his name with much respect and a degree of fear.

"Uh, Head-Captain, sir!" Rukia stuttered, scrambling to her feet. "I- I apologise, sir, I must have gotten distracted."

"It is quite alright, Miss Kuchiki," the man replied. "What is there to report?"

"It is about my orders to watch over the ex-substitute Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki, sir," Rukia replied formally, trying to keep her voice level despite her joy about the subject. "He has started to regain his reiatsu as we had hoped and is now able to see and communicate with me."

"I see," the Head-Captain nodded, gesturing for Rukia to walk with him. She complied. "And all of this happened when?"

"Yesterday evening, sir. He became aware of my presence and we spoke together." She avoided telling him that she had almost confessed her feelings to him while under the impression that he could not hear her words.

"In that case, I am going to cease this mission." The words cut Rukia like a heated blade through butter, and she felt as if she had been kicked in the stomach. Before she could protest, however, Yamamoto continued. "Instead, I want you to go back to the World of the Living and join Ichigo Kurosaki to increase his reiatsu to a degree whereby he can regain his powers. Contact Kisuke Urahara when you get there; he has a special Gigai designed to increase the effect of your reiatsu on Ichigo Kurosaki's and should allow it to return to normal much sooner than usual."

"I understand, Head-Captain," Rukia bowed, smiling inwardly. "May I ask when am I due to leave and how long will this assignment last?"

"Indeed you may. You will be leaving tomorrow morning, which will give you plenty of time to inform your friends and your brother."

_Byakuya, I forgot about that,_ she thought, mentally grimacing at the thought of having to explain to her brother and head of the Kuchiki Clan that she was to be with Ichigo for a while. He was hardly on the best terms with him in the first place, though he had some respect for Ichigo since he sacrificed his powers for the greater good of Soul Society.

"As for the duration of your assignment," the old man continued. "That depends on how long it takes to achieve your goal of stabilising Ichigo Kurosaki's reiatsu at a level where he can return to his previous strength. It is vital that this is achieved, as this man could be a very useful ally in the future. You are dismissed."

Rukia ran across the bridge and headed back to Squad 13's Barracks to inform Captain Ukitake of these orders and to let him know she would not be able to perform her usual duties in Soul Society for some time.

_This is great, _she thought happily. _It's been too long since we saw each other properly. It will be good to finally be able to talk to him again; to touch him again; to fight beside him and argue with him. Oh, how I've missed our arguments..._

Captain Ukitake was sat outside his quarters, a cup of green tea in his hands as he admired the sakura blossoms from afar. Suddenly, Rukia appeared around the corner and he smiled to her, noting the cheerful look on her face.

_I see,_ he thought, sipping his tea. _Clearly she has something good to tell me, else Rukia wouldn't be running or this cheerful. It's nice to see her with this much spirit after so long._

The Captain's smile faltered a little as a memory of Rukia in the previous two years or so came up.

_The sun shone down upon Seireitei as the Gotei 13 busied themselves with repairing the great buildings. Much had happened since the Winter War had started, and some damage had been sustained all around soul Society. In the Squad 13 barracks, everyone was busy building a new structure behind the training grounds._

_Everyone, that is, except for four; Kiyone and Sentaro, who had been working but now were in a fight about something which no one really cared to take interest in, especially since the two of them constantly fought about menial, pointless things; Captain Ukitake, who, despite recovering from his injuries sustained in battle, was feeling unwell due to his usual illness taking him by surprise in mid-work and now sat nearby, overlooking the project; and a small black-haired woman who sat huddled over before the structure which was already up._

_Ukitake looked over to the woman who sat not ten feet from him, stood uneasily and stumbled to her side._

"_Lovely day, isn't it, Rukia?" he said, sitting beside her._

"_Yes, it is, Captain." The reply was distant and without much interest or even tone. Ukitake frowned at this and tried to follow her gaze._

"_Ah, I see," he mused, sipping from his cup. Rukia turned to face him, her eyes with their usual sparkle._

"_See what?" she asked._

"_I see why it is you're unhappy," The Captain put a hand on her shoulder. "Rukia, I know how much you must be hurting inside, and I know that you don't want to show your feelings because Byakuya would look down on it, but if you ever want to talk or just want to let it out, you know that I'm here for you, right?"_

_Rukia sniffled a little, a few tears in her eyes as she looked away._

"_I know, Captain," she replied, her voice cracking a little. "I just..." Rukia clamped her jaws shut as the tears leaked freely from her sorrowful amethyst eyes. "I just miss him so much."_

_Ukitake removed his hand from her shoulder and wrapped his arm around her shoulders instead, nodding. He looked up at the bronze statue; a tall man with spiked hair, a hollow mask with two vertical markings in his left hand and a katana with a short chain on the hilt and a manji guard in his right resting over his shoulder. The plaque beneath it had only just been bolted on and read;_

_'**Ichigo Kurosaki: Hero of the Winter War**_

_Dedicated to the memory of his sacrifice to save Karakura town and Soul Society'_

_The Captain looked back to Rukia and gave her a slight squeeze as she let out her emotions, a rare sight for anyone to see._

"_We all do, Rukia," he replied, looking to the sky. "We all do."_

Ukitake's smile returned as Rukia dropped into a bow before him.

"Oh, hello again, Rukia," he said in a friendly tone. "That didn't take long."

"Captain, I have some news which I need to tell you," she said breathlessly.

"Sounds like good news to me," he mused, lifting a second cup. "Care for some tea while we talk? You look like you could use it."

Rukia nodded and accepted the fresh cup of steaming liquid gratefully, sitting beside Ukitake.

"I have been given a new post by the Head-Captain himself," Rukia explained. "Ichigo's reiatsu is returning, and he wants me to stay in the World of the Living for a while to restore Ichigo to full strength and restore his powers."

"That is good news!" Ukitake nodded, sipping his tea again. "That means you'll get you wish to be with Ichigo again."

Rukia had been taking a sip of tea when he said this, and she abruptly turned bright red and began spluttering on the liquid in her throat.

"Wha- What do you mean, Captain?" she choked out. The white-haired man chuckled to himself and smiled.

"This is the most cheerful I have seen you in over two years, Rukia," he replied. "And I have seen the way you looked at Ichigo; the compassionate glances you two shared, the occasional argument which seemed like a cover for something; you really like Ichigo, Rukia."

Rukia looked away and smiled softly, wiping her robes clean of the spilt tea.

"There's no way to get past you, is there, Captain," she said. "You really do know me too well. But I could never bring myself to tell him how I feel. I don't think I could bear it if I told him and it just made our friendship really awkward as a result, plus I have no idea how he would react in the first place. I guess you could say that I'm afraid of being rejected or knocked back by him."

Ukitake nodded knowingly and the two of them began discussing other things while they finished their tea, then Rukia hurried off to find Renji and Byakuya before she prepared to go.

Renji lay on the grass beside Squad 6's Barracks, the warmth of the sun soaking into his skin and lulling him into a pleasant sense of relax. The Captain had given him the day off as he had to do something of a personal nature and leaving Renji to his own devices seemed like the best idea.

_Since when does Captain Kuchiki have personal errands to do? _Renji wondered to himself. _He never seemed to have any time for himself before, now he's suddenly disappearing and giving me the day off? That can't be right, can it?_

Suddenly, a voice caught him off-guard, a faint shout of his name. He lazily opened his eyes and propped himself up onto his elbows to see a small black blur running his way. He smiled to himself and waved to the person, who he knew to be Rukia, remembering how she had turned him down so long ago.

_The two of them were spending time on the hill where their friends had been buried after a difficult day of fighting hollows. Ever since Ichigo lost his powers, hollows had been coming in mass, though they were very weak and easily dispatched. Renji turned to Rukia and gave a meek cough to get her attention. She looked around and smiled at him._

"_What's up, Renji?" she asked, blissfully unaware of my feelings._

Come on,_ he thought. _You can't chicken out this time, coward. Just tell her!

"_Rukia, I have to tell you something," he managed. "I... I, uh..."_

"_You what, Renji?" Rukia cocked her head to one side in a look of confusion. "Is this about the Remembrance Zone being broken last week?"_

"_What? No!" Renji shook his head to clear it. "Rukia, I think I love you."_

_The words had come as a surprise to both of them; Rukia because she had not expect that, and Renji because he had said it so quickly and loudly he wondered if anyone else had heard him. After several minutes of awkward silence, Renji spoke up._

"_Say something, Rukia," he begged._

"_I..." Rukia shook her head and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry, Renji, but if you do love me, I can not return those feelings. My heart lies with someone else, and even though they can not see me or sense my presence, I can't change my heart's decision. I really am sorry, and I hope we can still be friends."_

Ouch._ Renji had never been quite so surprise as he was then. He knew who she meant, and he knew there was no way to come between them. _Not even losing his powers can divide them. I guess I just have to move on.

_He grinned and nodded to her._

"_Sounds good," he replied, letting the topic drop altogether._

That had been almost two years ago, and now Rukia seemed much more cheerful.

_Must be to do with Ichigo,_Renji thought as she arrived beside him.

"Hey, Rukia," he said, not bothering to stand. "What's up?"

"I've been reassigned to the World of the Living on a temporary post," she announced. "I'm supposed to get Ichigo's reiatsu back up to strength and also help get his Soul Reaper powers back."

"Sounds like this could take a while, huh?" Renji smirked; it was nice for him to see Rukia happy.

"Probably. That's why I'm trying to find Nii-sama. Do you know where he is?"

"No, actually. He gave me the day off, said something about having personal business to attend to."

Rukia nodded, knowing what he meant.

"He's at Hisana's shrine," she said solemnly. For a while now, Byakuya had been visiting the shrine on a more regular basis. "Thanks, Renji, I've got to go speak with Nii-sama."

"Alright, see you later," he replied, lying back again as she disappeared in a shimmer of Shunpo.

Byakuya knelt before the woman's portrait, just as Rukia had thought. Though he was very stoic and let little emotion show as his status as head of one of the great noble clans demanded, he still visited Hisana's memorial in the Kuchiki Manor, the Sakura blossoms setting a happy-coloured atmosphere in the grounds behind him.

And yet the head of the Kuchiki Clan was hunched over, hands pressed against his knees, back shuddering a little as small drops of fluid leaked from his eyes. He looked up at the portrait and smiled weakly.

"You know, it never did get easier," he said softly as if the woman could still hear him, and deep down he hoped she could. "Being away from you, Hisana. I know that you would know how to handle the situations we have faced, Hisana, and I know you would be able to help your... _our_ sister get passed what is troubling her. I miss you, Hisana, and I'm sorry I could not find Rukia in time for you to be reunited with her, but I swear that I will keep my promise to you, forever and always."

He took a moment to compose himself, then stood and bowed to Hisana's photograph, before leaving the room where the memorial was situated. It was not long before he spotted Rukia stood in front of him. She bowed as a sign of respect.

"Nii-sama," she said. "I have been given new orders from the Head-Captain himself."

"I see," he responded in his usual monotone. "What are your new orders?"

"I am to be dispatched to the World of the Living to restore the substitute Soul Reaper's reiatsu and Soul Reaper powers." She looked him in the eye, and Byakuya saw a spark of happiness in her violet orbs. "I'm afraid that I will be away for some time because of this, but Head-Captain Yamamoto has requested that I depart tomorrow as this is of utmost importance."

Byakuya felt himself pale a little; he despised Ichigo for taking Rukia's powers the first time and meaning that she was sentenced to death. Not only that, but he was taking his adoptive sister away for an unknown and inexplicable length of time.

"Very well," the noble finally replied. "Be sure to give the boy this message." He reached into his robes and pulled out a piece of paper with 'Boy' written in neat scrawl on the folded sheet, handing it to Rukia. She took the message and slipped it into her own robes, then bowed again. "You had best start preparing to depart, Rukia. The Head-Captain will not want to be kept waiting tomorrow."

Rukia bowed once more, then departed for her room to ensure all was prepared.

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Day<strong>

Ichigo stretched out on his bed, enjoying the Sunday morning. His work was finished, his father had not attacked him yet, Kon had been silenced; all was quiet.

Too quiet, in fact. No sooner had the thought graced his mind did Ichigo sit bolt upright as his father's distinctive, childish voice tore through his tired exterior.

"GOOD MOR-NING," the shout came, each syllable elongated as usual. "I-CHI-G... OW!"

The elder man had received a swift fist into his jaw as Ichigo reacted pre-emptively to the kick heading his way. The orange-haired man stood over his father, fist raised to strike him again if needs be.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, GOAT-FACE?" he yelled. "MOST NORMAL FATHERS DON'T ATTACK THEIR KIDS FIRST THING ON A SUNDAY!"

"You have learnt much, my son," Isshin replied with a forced, sickly smile. "I have nothing more to teach you."

"YOU ALWAYS SAY THAT, BAKA!"

Having removed his good-for-nothing father from his room and left him in his sister's capable hands, Ichigo showered and dressed in his Nice Vibe shirt, loose jean cut-offs and placed his aviators on his head. It was only then that he felt a certain reiatsu in the downtown area. His phone suddenly rung as he was about to identify the newcomer for sake of reassurance.

"Hello," he said, picking up.

"Hello there, Ichigo," Urahara's voice responded. "We need you down at the shop today; is that a problem?"

"No, no problem at all."

"Good, I'll see you soon then." The line clicked and Ichigo knew the shop keeper had hung up.

Pocketing the mobile, Ichigo swiftly headed to the Urahara Shoten, sprinting down there as if his life depended on it. Once her arrived, his opened the screen door...

And received a kick in the shin. He hopped around, cursing and clutching his wounded leg, glaring at his assailant.

"What the hell, Rukia?" he asked. "It's bad enough I had to fight off the old man this morning, now you're starting too?"

"Well, I did owe you it from Friday," she replied coyly. "That'll teach you to call me midget. Now stop being such a baby and let's get our things. We've got training to do."

Ichigo smiled to himself as they entered the shop properly.

_Just like the good old days,_ he thought reminiscently before mentally grimacing. _Man, I sound old._

* * *

><p><em>To Be Continued...<em>

* * *

><p><em>Bit rushed at the end, but I had some free time while I was waiting for my painting to dry, so I thought I'd finish this chapter.<em>

_Hope you like it this far, and I hop I'll be able to update again before my trip._

_I am, however, over dad's until Monday, so that may not pan out._

_But anyway, please read and review, tell you friends if you like, I don't mind._


	3. Chapter 3

_**Brief: **Just over two years after he lost his Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo starts being able to sense spirits again, but what else will emerge as his powers start to re-emerge?_

_**Spoiler Warnings: **Post 423: Farewell Swords_

_**Note:** If you are looking for the continuation of my After the Winter War series, this is not it! **This is separate to my other works!**_

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki (of course), IshiHime, possible others include RenTats, ByaHis_

* * *

><p><strong>Darkest Side of Me<strong>

**Chapter 3: Arrangements**

The two of them stepped into the familiar shop and up to the front where the blonde shop-keeper sat with his hat low over his eyes and a fan hiding the lower part from sight. The object snapped shut and revealed the coy smile which Urahara had on at the sight of the two walking beside one another.

"My, now isn't this a blast from the past!" he said cheerfully, gesturing to Rukia and Ichigo. "I was starting to wonder if I would ever see you two walk into my humble shop again. How are my favourite customers?"

"Hello again, Hat-'n'-Clogs," Ichigo said in response while Rukia just smiled, having said her greetings earlier. "How's business?"

"It's been pretty quiet of late, truth be told," the man replied pointedly. "Ever since Aizen was locked away, there haven't been many Soul Reapers passing through to the World of the Living or, at least, not around here. Anyway, enough about that. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"We require a few things, Kisuke," Rukia replied. "As you know, Ichigo has regained only a portion of his reiatsu, so I have been dispatched to restore it by order of the Head-Captain himself. He instructed that we receive these items."

The Soul Reaper reached into her pocket and handed a note to Urahara, who briefly read it then nodded.

"You're in luck; I recently received a new shipment with some of the more difficult items," he confirmed. "Tessai, could you find these items please?" The assistant appeared and checked the list, but frowned. "Something wrong?"

"I apologise, boss, but we do not have this item," he said, pointing low on the list. Urahara leaned over.

"Oh, I missed that one," he nodded. "Get what we do have and we shall sort it out later." The large man nodded and left. "I apologise, Lieutenant Kuchiki, but the Spiritual Supplement is currently out of stock."

Ichigo blinked, then frowned, looking at Rukia incredulously as she nodded and spoke with Urahara briefly. When he went into the back rooms to retrieve something, Ichigo pounced on the point.

"I'm sure I misheard that," he said. "But did Urahara call you Lieutenant?"

"Yes, if you must know," she said, surprised that he had not noticed. "I was promoted by Captain Ukitake about a year ago to fill the position of Squad 13 Lieutenant since, according to the Captain, I had defeated one of the Espada 'without a Bankai or the reiatsu to establish a Bankai'."

"I see," Ichigo smirked at her boastful nature. "Byakuya must be sick or something."

"No, Nii-sama recognised my abilities and accepted the Captain's request." Rukia paused, reaching into her pocket again and pulling out another note. "Oh, that reminds me, he wanted me to give this to you."

Ichigo took the paper with a look of suspicion and apprehension on his face and carefully opened it. The message inside read;

_Boy,_

_It has come to my attention that my sister is to be in Karakura Town for an unspecified amount of time and I want to be sure that you do not try anything with her. Should I hear about any funny business involving you and Rukia, or that you have hurt her in any way, I will be coming to Karakura personally to ensure that you do not ever repeat this. I hope I have made myself clear._

_Byakuya Kuchiki._

Ichigo felt his blood run cold as he read this, wondering if the noble would actually come all that way just to skin him, but he did not doubt that he would, but nor did he think that it would come to that. He briskly crumpled it up and stuffed the note into his pocket before Urahara returned, his slightly scared look causing Rukia to giggle to herself. The boy tried to look angry at her, but he soon found himself joining her in laughing as the giggles became louder and more raucous. Urahara walked into the room with a long receipt in hand and a box of items. He looked up at the laughing duo and cocked his head to one side, confused.

"Uh, what's the joke?" he asked, but the two kept laughing as if he had never said a word for a few minutes before then easing back to peace.

"Sorry, Kisuke," Rukia grinned, her voice evening out. "It's hard not to laugh with this idiot around." She jabbed her thumb in Ichigo's direction, gaining her a trademark Ichigo scowl for her troubles. "How much do I owe you?"

"Oh, there's no need for that, Lieutenant Kuchiki," the man replied, waving his fan in a disregarding manner.

"You can call me Rukia, you know," she said, not liking her rank being used so much in conversation. "And may I ask why you say that?"

"The Head-Captain has ordered that these items be put on the Squad 13 Expeditionary Expenditure, not your own expense. I can understand, seeing as how this is rather expensive overall; Gikongan, the new Gigai I've developed, Spiritual Supplements, reiatsu channelling valves for advanced zanpakuto reconstruction; and that is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. No, I'm sure this is fine. Also, Byakuya has been in touch recently, and he asks that I give you access to the spare rooms here and also the training ground for as long as you are in town."

"Oh," Rukia said, a little crestfallen that her brother was still becoming involved with the arrangements of her positioning while on a mission.

"Uh, Urahara," Ichigo spoke up, clearing his throat. "I thought that it would be better for Rukia to be at my house for the duration of her stay. After all, the closer she is in that Gigai to me, the more my reiatsu will restore in the same time span."

"Well, I have no doubts that Head-Captain Yamamoto would approve of that, therefore I do not see why it should not be allowed. Besides, what Byakuya doesn't know won't hurt him." Urahara said this with a wink to Rukia and Ichigo. "Anyway, I will keep hold of the items needed for training, but I recommend that you take the Gikongan, the Gigai and the replacement Substitute Soul Reaper Combat Pass which Captain Ukitake requested be given to Ichigo after it came to his attention that he had lost it."

"Hey! I did not lose it!" Ichigo protested. "My stupid dad decided to throw it out after he found it 'cause the idiot goat-chined bastard thought I had joined a cult and that was why I couldn't get a girlfriend!"

There was an awkward silence which briefly fell over the trio while Ichigo calmed down, but Urahara pulled out his fan and hid his smirk from the orange haired male as he spoke in an amused tone.

"So, was that a confession that you can't get a girlfriend?"

**A Short Time Later**

"There was no need to elbow him in the nose," Rukia scolded as they walked towards the Kurosaki household and clinic.

"What do you mean 'no need'?" Ichigo retorted fiercely. "He's the one that insinuated that I can't get a girlfriend!"

"Then why don't you have one?"

"Because... B- Because I, um-" Ichigo blushed, not wanted to tell her his true reasoning and trying to figure out a suitable alternative. "Because I haven't found the right person!"

"Oh, come on, Ichigo, just admit that you're gay," Rukia smirked as she mocked her friend.

"Admit that I'm... WHAT THE HELL, RUKIA?" he glowered at the Soul Reaper beside him. "I am not gay!"

"Not very convincing."

"Shut up!" Ichigo sighed and let the top disperse before then speaking up again. "How do we explain this to my family? I mean, don't get me wrong, they love your company and all, but showing up on the doorstep with you in tow and in need of a place to stay for a ridiculous time span probably isn't the best approach without an explanation."

"Well, we'll think of something." She paused. "Did they ever ask where I went?"

"Who, Yuzu and Karin?" Rukia nodded in response. "Yeah, they did when they hadn't seen you in a few weeks. Yuzu cried for days that you couldn't say goodbye to her, but I did try to explain that you'd be rebuilding Seireitei with everyone in the Gotei 13. Oh yeah, how is Seireitei now?"

"It's thriving like it used to. I'll take you back there once Zangetsu's been restored; the Head-Captain said he wanted to thank you in person at some stage if ever the chance came up."

"Gramps said that?" Ichigo laughed a little. "Man, losing an arm make him sentimental or something?"

Rukia swiftly thrust her elbow into his abdomen.

"Baka! Don't talk about the strongest Soul Reaper of his time like that!" she scolded.

"Ow! Alright, dammit!"

"Anyway, it's called having manners; you've saved us more times than we would care to mention as a whole, therefore it is only right that you be thanked by the Head-Captain himself. It's the least that Seireitei owes you for helping so much."

"Yeah, well, they should have thanked you too." Ichigo's response took Rukia off-guard.

"Me?" she repeated. "Why should they have thanked me for your actions?"

"You're the reason I had those powers and know of Soul Society, even if it was against the rules. Hell, they should have apologised for trying to execute you for it. OW!" Ichigo clutched his now aching leg, growling in pain. "What the hell, midget?"

"We've been over this already, Strawberry; they never said it but it was implied. And stop calling me midget, baka!"

The two fumed briefly at each other, no longer walking but now glaring at the other, primed to attack, when Rukia's face softened from the glare and she let out a laugh. Soon her giggles were joined by Ichigo's own chuckles. Once they had calmed down, they looked over the river bank and at the sun as it fell low in the sky, casting a brilliant scarlet into the wisps of cloud that hung overhead and gave a mellow orange glow to the buildings of Karakura Town. The tranquil waters of the river nearby ran a beautiful shade of indigo as it reflected the dusk sky and the green grass sat still as if the colour had each blade mesmerised.

"I forgot how beautiful it is here," Rukia mused, sitting on the verge. "It's so quiet, not like Soul Society at all. I know I've been here a long time now, but you never seemed to go out here or go anywhere where you can see the sunset."

"It was always raining," Ichigo explained sitting down beside Rukia, who had adopted a position looking at the male with her head cocked to one side, knees hugged to her meagre chest. "Even when it was sunny outside, it felt as if a thick storm had come on the inside, like my ray of light which guided me through life had gone out."

"You're talking of your inner world I take it." Ichigo nodded and smiled to her. Rukia smiled back and went on. "Your ray of light were your Soul Reaper powers, and with them gone you felt lost, right?"

Ichigo just nodded again, not wanting to tell Rukia how wrong she was. His ray of hope had come back with his powers, but that did not mean that they were the same thing. A noise beside them made the pair turn to a timid teenager with mouse-brown hair and big eyes.

"R- Rukia-nee?" Yuzu asked, unable to believe that Ichigo had found the Soul Reaper after so long.

"Hello again, Yuzu," the raven-haired girl replied, standing and turning to face the younger girl.

"Rukia-nee!" Rukia felt her stomach being crushed as Yuzu gripped her in a tight hug, her eyes full of tears of joy that the person she regarded as an older sister had returned finally. "You came back!"

"Of course I did," Rukia chided, returning the hug. "I would never leave you or your family properly."

"I'm so glad," the thirteen year old said. "that Ichi-nii found you again."

"Rukia!" came a call as another two people came over.

The first was tall and had black hair down to her shoulders, a baseball cap that Rukia remembered vividly perched atop her head, while the other was like Ichigo but with black hair and thick stubble. There was no doubting who these two were.

"Well well, if it isn't my third daughter," Isshin smiled, hugging Rukia gently; he seemed much calmer than usual. He whispered in her ear as he embraced her petite form. "I'm glad Ichigo can see you finally; he hasn't been his usual self since he lost his powers. Thank you for getting my son back to normal, Rukia."

"No problem," she whispered back. "Besides, someone has to babysit him now he refuses to listen to his father."

Isshin smirked and chuckled at this, releasing her from his hug.

"Listen, dad, there's-" Ichigo's words were halted as the elder Kurosaki male raised a hand.

"No need to explain; Kisuke's told me that my third daughter is here to turn you... INTO A MAN! OH, ICHIGO, GIVE DADDY A HUG!" He flung himself towards Ichigo, only to receive a foot embedded in his face. He fell to the floor in a pile, his son clenching a fist tightly over him.

"YOU CRAZY BASTARD! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

"You have learnt well, my son," replied a broken Isshin. "We've already made Rukia a bed at home, and she can stay as long as she needs to." Ichigo was taken aback by this sudden seriousness and felt almost ashamed that he had kicked the man to the floor... Almost. "And, my son, be sure to make me grandba-" Ichigo stomped on the back of Isshin's head, ploughing his face into the ground and thereby muffling the sentence and protests.

"God, you are such an ass!" the orange-haired Kurosaki huffed, walking over Isshin's head, making sure to grind his heel in a little as he stepped on his father's skull. "Come on, let's go home, guys."

Ichigo walked forwards, leading the twins and Rukia towards the Kurosaki household.

"Hey, Ichi-nii," Karin said abruptly as they walked, jabbing a thumb Isshin's way. "What should we do about Goat-chin?"

"Just leave him; he'll be back by the time dinner's ready I bet."

Rukia smiled to herself in the mass of chaos happening around her.

_Such a strange, loud family, _she mused. _But I wouldn't want to be anyone else's family than Ichigo's._

**Kurosaki Household**

"I swear I'm gonna kill that bastard," Ichigo growled, eyeing his room. Where once his neat space had held a desk, a closet and a blue single bed, it now had been rearranged to hold an oak double bed with the initials 'I.K.' and 'R.K.' etched into the bedposts. He turned to his younger sister, who was carefully watching his reaction from the doorway. "Did you know about this, Yuzu?"

"Sorry, Ichi-nii," she replied. "Dad made me promise not to tell you; he'd been working all day on making it and I didn't want to ruin the surprise."

"It's not your fault." He paused, looking outside his window to the path where Isshin was walking up to the house. "Hey, Rukia, hand me that dictionary a sec."

Rukia furled her eyebrows in confusion as she grabbed the black, very thick hardback and handed it to Ichigo.

"What are you planning to do with that, Ichigo?" she asked as he slid the window open.

Meanwhile, from the road towards his house, Isshin could see Ichigo's light on through the window.

"Well, he'll have found out about the new bed," he said to himself. "And, no doubt, that the spare futons have been removed from his closet. I'm sure he'll thank me for my hard work in-"

His ramble was cut short as a heavy book slammed into his skull at high speed with much force and brought him to the floor, the back of his head hitting the pavement hard and almost certainly cutting his head. He sighed, trying to block out the pain.

"Maybe it'll be a while before then..."

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

><p><em>Oh, Isshin, will he ever learn? Of course not!<em>

_I hope I characterised the reunion of the other Kurosaki's with Rukia, but I imagined that Karin would be indifferent, Yuzu would be choked up and Isshin would be an ass. If you didn't like it, let me know._

_Anyway, I owe my absence to a holiday in the caravan (fun time on the M25, by the way, when the driver side wheel practically exploded just off of Junction 26 ¬_¬) but I'm back now. Good thing, right?_

_Not so much; school's back soon and I'm in need of doing a fair bit of work still, so I may only write more in the nights, and even that will be restricted heavily due to breaking habits._

_So, I'll be writing again soon, and the next one will be Language of the Heart: Overhauled._

_Until then, tell me what you liked or disliked in a review and stay posted for the next update :)_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Brief: **Just over two years after he lost his Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo starts being able to sense spirits again, but what else will emerge as his powers start to re-emerge?_

_**Spoiler Warnings: **Post 423: Farewell Swords_

_**Note:** If you are looking for the continuation of my After the Winter War series, this is not it! **This is separate to my other works!**_

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki (of course), IshiHime, possible others include RenTats, ByaHis_

_**A/N: **I am really sorry that I've been unable to work on this or any of my stories; it sickens me how homework can be such a relentless git and get in the way all the time. Well, that and my history controlled assessment, prep. for my chemistry ISA and the rest of school life..._

_You know what; school blows in that sense..._

_Anyway, I'm back with a vengeance, so let's get on with the story!_

* * *

><p><strong>Darkest Side of Me<strong>

**Chapter 4: Affliction Starts**

"So, how are we going to go about this?" Ichigo asked the petite Soul Reaper sat on the new bed in his room. "It's not like we can sleep in the same bed; that'd be just inappropriate."

Rukia hid the hurt from her face and her voice as she replied, unaware that Ichigo was covering his true feelings.

"Actually, we could do that," she responded calmly. Ichigo flipped out, as she had expected, and started shrieking about what his dad would think and the usual sort of thing which sprang to mind when Ichigo was introduced to something of such a nature. "Calm down, idiot, and let me explain. First of all, it's not like we really have a choice in the matter, since the spare futons are missing and your bed was thrown out. And second, we're friends and we've fought together, so we've seen each other without shirts and the rest of it. And third, it's not like we're going to be doing anything apart from sleeping, so lighten up."

Ichigo ran her arguments over in his head, but he could see no reason to decline, nor could he find a suitable counter-argument, so he sighed and relented.

"Alright, fine, but we're sorting this out tomorrow," he compromised.

"Fine by me," Rukia nodded, lifting herself off of the bed and walking towards the door. "I'm going to get changed."

"Wait a minute, Rukia," Ichigo grabbed her shoulder and turned her so that she was looking at him. "Do you have a change of clothes?"

"Well, not on my person," she admitted, confused. "I was going to borrow that old pair of Yuzu's pyjamas."

"We got rid of those ages ago; in case you hadn't noticed, both of my sisters have grown up a lot in the last two years."

"Oh..." Rukia frowned, trying to think of a solution when Ichigo threw something her way; a soft bundle of white which landed in her arms. Unfolding it, she saw it was a white shirt with two scowling eyes and the the words 'SPEAKING IS **NOT** COMMUNICATION' stamped over the chest. "Nice shirt, but why have I got it?"

"You can borrow that shirt for tonight," he replied bluntly, rummaging through his draws before pulling out a pair of boxer shorts which no longer fitted him and threw them her way too. "At least it's a change of clothes. We'll get you some pyjamas of your own while we're out tomorrow."

"Isn't school tomorrow?" Rukia asked.

"Nope, something about a wall being destroyed last night and the repairs being done today," he shrugged. "Anyway, go get changed."

Rukia nodded and made for the door, opened it then paused in the doorway, turning back to Ichigo briefly and smiling to say a quick but sincere 'thank you' before she darted in the direction of the bathroom.

Ichigo stared at the door for a while after she had left, his brain dazed, then he rummaged through his draws again to find his own shorts.

_Why is it I suddenly can't stop thinking about her? _Ichigo wondered, though he did wonder when he had known Rukia and not thought about her constantly. _It's nice to see her again, though... Her new haircut really suits her, and I dare say that this sleeping arrangement will be..._

Ichigo cut himself short of his thoughts at this.

"Dammit, well the hell did I put them?" he growled.

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Rukia shivered as the cascade of tepid water poured down over her scalp and trickled down her slender form. She spat out a few droplets which had strayed into her mouth and turned up the heat as high as her pale skin could withstand. As she washed, she absent-mindedly hummed the tune of a song Ichigo had shown her once prior to his powers disappearing.

_Strange how such a small thing can remind me of him, _she thought. _He certainly hasn't changed. He's still a child at heart, he still argues with his father, he still cares for his sisters. Most of all, he's still looking out for me. He hasn't even changed physically; still too damned tall, hair's still vibrant, eyes still caring, chest still so rugged and... _The humming ended as she blinked at this sudden thought. _Where the hell did that come from? No, stop it, Rukia! You are a Kuchiki, and you do not think such impure thoughts, especially about your host who is allowing you to stay in his house for an unknown time span and completely out of the blue! Besides, this is Ichigo, and you are not going to jeopardise your friendship with him because you can't stop thinking of him like this!_

The short Soul Reaper stepped out of the shower, drying herself with a fluffy white towel, the song back in her head and being hummed incessantly once more. She allowed her attention to wander to the clothing as she slipped into it; the shirt was baggy and fell below her waist by quite a way, reaching almost to her mid-thigh, and the shorts would have been too loose were it not for their elasticated waistband. Looking in the mirror, she saw that her hair was damp in places and seemed frizzy in the steamed up piece of glass, but she could not be bothered to brush her raven locks back into uniformity when they would be worse after she slept on it. She smiled and shook her head a little.

"Kami, you look a mess," she muttered to herself. "Oh well, it will do for now."

She wandered back to the room she was sharing with Ichigo and opened the door, humming all the way, and was surprised to hear Ichigo softly singing the same part that she was humming to herself.

"Yokaze ga hakobu awai kibou wo nosete, doko made yukeru ka?" he sang. Rukia smiled, thinking of what a nice voice he had, but she pushed it aside and announced her arrival with a meek cough. Ichigo jumped and turned to her. "Oh, Rukia, it's you. I, um... You didn't happen to not hear that, did you?"

"Not if you don't want me to have," she smiled.

Ichigo grinned, glad it was her and not, say, Renji who had walked in on him singing. Knowing him, the Lieutenant would have laughed at the orange-haired man and called him a wimp. It took a few minutes before they twigged what the other was wearing properly. Rukia's eyes wandered over his exposed chest and down to a pair of burgundy boxers hugging his lower body, admiring his muscular form with a silent sense of awe. Ichigo too found his gaze crawling over every inch of Rukia, from her dainty legs which were visible under the mass of his clothes, up to her messy hair which gave her a cute look about her, and the shirt which had slipped off of one shoulder because the collar was far to big for her shoulders. They stared for a brief time, then blushed and averted their gaze from one another.

_Why must it be so hard to look at her like this? _Ichigo wondered in his head. After a while, he looked back to her and smiled sheepishly, gesturing to the bed.

"What side do you want?" he asked.

"I don't mind," she shrugged. "Window side I suppose."

Ichigo nodded and stood aside to allow her onto the bed. Once both were under the covers, they fell into a comfortable silence, backs to one another, and fell asleep.

Or rather one of them did. Ichigo lay still, but his 'sleep' was simply because he was having an internal struggle. He opened his eyes in a land of darkness. It felt familiar, and yet it did not feel like anywhere Ichigo had been before. The cold floor, the blackened skies, the thick shadows all around; nothing was real and everything was alien, yet he had the sneaking suspicion that he had been stood in that spot before. A shadow reared up behind him, a tall man with tinted shades and long hair wrapped in a cloak which flowed to the male's right despite the lack of wind. The man gazed upon Ichigo, his stubbly face grim.

"You should not have come back, Ichigo," he said in his usual powerful tone.

"Zangetsu!" Ichigo grinned. "I'm glad to see you again."

"Were the situation different, I would reciprocate," the old zanpakuto spirit sighed. "But the fact of the matter is it does not matter about that."

"What do you mean? And where are we?" Ichigo frowned.

"We are in your inner world, Ichigo," the man replied. "Can you not sense that this place is your world? The world that was once submerged because you refused to move forward resurfaced long ago and rebuilt, but the rain never stopped falling until recently. By then, however, the clouds had swallowed the sun, and I fear that the moon is on the rise to eclipse it permanently."

"What the hell are you talking about, old man?"

"Your hollow is powerful, Ichigo," Zangetsu responded firmly. "He has overpowered you before, and since we became one, my power over him has grown weaker. I fear that he has the power to take you body by force and ensure you cannot return."

"What?" Ichigo was about to demand what he meant, but the man dissolved into the darkness. "Hey, Zangetsu, where are you?"

"_Right here,_" came the reply. The voice was strong and twin-toned, just as it always had been. Ichigo turned as another figure started to walk forwards from the shadows, the silhouette barely visible at first but growing clearer. "_Remember what I told you all those years ago, King? How I was waiting for the day I could take your body and become the King myself? Well that day is almost here. I'm strong enough to do it, I just waiting for you to catch up now._"

"You bastard, I defeated you once before, I'll sure as hell do it again!" Ichigo barked back. The hollow laughed as it emerged.

"_Oh really? I'd like to see that!_"

The orange-haired man stepped back, startled by what he saw. The hollow was about seven-feet tall, not much bigger than Ichigo himself, but it was somehow intimidating. The creature wore a white shihaksho with blue trim covering its white and black robes. Around the collar and wrists were tufts of red fur, and tribal markings stretched themselves over his chest where a hole bore through the flesh and bone. The hollow's eyes glinted maniacally as it reared up its head, sharp teeth lining its mouth as it roared loudly, making the ground shake and it bared its powerful, clawed hands. With the display finished, its gaze fell on Ichigo, and the man could see a black mask fragment on its left forehead and eye, the eyepiece, marking and horn of the hideous form Ichigo has taken on against Ulquiorra in Los Noches.

"What... the..."

Before Ichigo could finish, the hollow had grabbed him by the collar and raised him off the ground, fingers tightening around his throat.

"_Your body will be mine, Kurosaki,_" it whispered menacingly. "_Whether you want it to or not._"

"No," Ichigo choked out, the word repeating and growing stronger. "NO!" he shouted, sitting bolt upright in the bed. He felt a slender hand on his shoulder and another on his chest.

"Ichigo," Rukia said, her voice laced with anxiety. "What is it, what's wrong?"

"I..." Ichigo sighed and looked her in the eyes, the pale moonlight setting the perfect backdrop for her own icy paleness and illuminating her purple orbs like amethysts in the sun. "It's nothing," he lied, looking away. "I was dreaming about when my mother..." He trailed off, but Rukia understood and pulled him into a friendly embrace.

"It's alright, Ichigo," she said softly, easing herself and him down into a laying position. "It was just a dream." They lay there in each other's arms, enjoying the moment. Ichigo nuzzled her hair, a sign of a thank you that he sometimes used when she comforted him like this.

"Yeah," he said, gazing at the moon, a faint glimmer giving the impression of the hollow's face glaring at them before fading from his vision. "Just a dream."

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Day<strong>

Ichigo woke up to find Rukia snuggled against him in their bed, the small woman still hugging him from the night before when he had had his outburst. He felt bad about lying about his nightmare to Rukia, but if she knew about it, Soul Society might take her away from him, and he did not want to be apart from her again. After he prised himself gently out of her clutches, he slipped out of bed and was about to head downstairs when a loud, obnoxious voice bellowed from the landing.

"GOOD MOR~NING, I~CHI~GO!"

Isshin kicked down the door and barged into the room, causing Rukia to scream in surprise, having been woken up by the noise. Ichigo rolled his eyes, grabbed the man by the scruff of the neck after he side stepped him and slammed him nose-first into the floor.

"You jackass!" he barked at his father as Isshin clutched his bleeding nose. "Why can you never be normal, you freaking nut-job? And on top of that, you woke Rukia up! How senseless are you?"

"You 'ave l'rned w'll my son," Isshin mumbled, standing and clutching his nose to stop the bleeding, hence distorting his words. "I 'ave not'ing mor' to tea'h 'ou."

"Would you stop talking like that, I can barely understand a word you're saying," Ichigo scowled. "Anyway, apologise to Rukia for waking her up!"

"I'm deeply sorry, my third daughter," Isshin bowed to Rukia, who had emerged from beneath the shroud of covers. "I forgot that-" Isshin froze as his took in Rukia's messy hair, the fact she was wearing her underwear and one of Ichigo's shirts, and started another rant. "THANK YOU, KAMI, FOR BLESSING MY SON! HE IS FINALLY A MAN! OH, ICHIGO, GIVE DADDY A HUG! YOU'VE FINALLY GIVEN ME GRA-"

Isshin was cut off by Ichigo's fist slamming into his jaw, knocking him out cold.

"Kami, why doesn't he have an off-switch?" Ichigo growled. He sighed and turned to Rukia. "Go get changed and let's get to the shops quickly."

Rukia smirked to him and, having collected her clothing, walked passed Ichigo, muttering a few words as she approached the bathroom.

"You certainly are more mature now," he grinned as she slipped passed him.

* * *

><p>Usually the massive complex of shops rang with the sound of voices as people chattered amongst themselves while they browsed, tried out the various games or simply went to the food court. Usually it was difficult to move five inches without running into someone moving in the opposite direction or getting into a fight with someone who had grabbed the last item which you wanted. Usually the smell of cheap perfumes, corny aftershaves and the sweat of passers by as they busied themselves enveloped the huge building and made you more grateful once you were outside again. But not today.<p>

The shops were quiet, the shops were empty, the shops were scentless. The problem was that it was a Monday, and what was distinct about Mondays is that kids were in school or college while the adults busied themselves in another boring day at work. Because of this, only a few people strolled through the open corridors of the shopping centre. Amongst them, in a clothes shop on the second storey, were a petite, dark-haired woman and a tall, orange-haired man. People looked at them in passing and wondered what their relationship was privately, while others wondered if the man's hair was natural in colour.

Inside, Ichigo waited in the hallway in the changing room area as Rukia changed behind the closed curtain. She had tried on many outfits by this time, most discarded while some stayed, and Ichigo was far from enthusiastic about the day ahead.

"How does this look?" Rukia asked, stepping out in a blue t-shirt with dark sleeves and a Chappy the Rabbit emblazoned onto the bottom left of it, and a purple pleated skirt which ended just above the knee. Ichigo stood up and looked her up and down.

"Looks good," he mumbled. Rukia smiled and returned into the stall.

"Good," she said. "I've got a few more to try." Ichigo sighed exasperatedly as the curtain slid shut again.

_If this is how it's gonna go on, kill me now, _he thought as he slumped back into the chair.

"_That can be arranged, King,_" came a sickly voice from somewhere to Ichigo's right. He approached the source cautiously as the speech went on. "_After all, is that not my goal?_"

Ichigo turned into an empty stall, the mirror showing a person with their back to him. The man was like Ichigo but piercing white. He turned and glared at Ichigo under the cruel mask on his face. Ichigo flinched backwards and the man in the mirror cackled.

"Bastard hollow," he growled. "What are you playing at?"

"_Oh my, I don't like your tone, King,_" the hollow growled satirically. "_We'll fix that though._" The hollow raised its arm and splayed the fingers, causing a bout of pain to rip through Ichigo's head. He clutched it and snarled viciously in agony. "_You feel that? I'm just beneath the surface now._"

"Get out..." Ichigo groaned.

"_Scratch away just a little and you would find me there, ready to leap out._"

"Get the hell out of my head!" Ichigo's snarls became louder and stronger.

"_And soon, you won't be able to control me or even suppress me._"

"Get out of my head!"

"_And when that day comes, not even your precious ray of light will save you from me!_" The hollow roared with laughter as Ichigo lost it. He tightened his fist and snarled.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HEAD, YOU BASTARD!" he roared at the top of his voice.

The sound of shattering glass and the pain in his hand told Ichigo he had punched the mirror, splintering the glass and leaving fragments in his knuckles. The laughter began to fade into nothingness as the hollow disappeared again. Looking in the distorted reflection of himself, Ichigo stumbled against the wall and slumped down it, knees buckling beneath him.

_What am I becoming? _His thoughts were torn apart as Rukia ripped the curtain aside, in her own clothes and about to shout angrily at him for making such a commotion, when her eyes fell on his form and her anger turned to worry.

"Oh my God," she said, hunkering down beside his drained body. "Ichigo, you're bleeding; are you ok? What happened?"

"Punched the mirror," Ichigo replied, pulling himself up. He took out a wad of notes and handed it to her. "Pay for your clothes' I'm gonna get my hand fixed."

He walked off quickly before Rukia could say a word. She sighed and looked at the chaos he had left.

"Ichigo," she sighed. "What's happening to you?"

* * *

><p><em>Holy mother of everything, it's finished!<em>

_Sorry, I had coursework to complete and I've been unable to work on this, but it's finally done, so, yay me!_

_Anyway, please read and review, I appreciate every comment, no matter how pointless you might think it is._

_Updates will be slow, so be warned, but I'll be back with a vengeance soon enough!_

_For now, goodbye._


	5. Chapter 5

_**Brief: **Just over two years after he lost his Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo starts being able to sense spirits again, but what else will emerge as his powers start to re-emerge?_

_**Spoiler Warnings: **Post 423: Farewell Swords_

_**Note:** If you are looking for the continuation of my After the Winter War series, this is not it! **This is separate to my other works!**_

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki (of course), IshiHime, possible others include ByaHis_

* * *

><p><strong>Darkest Side of Me<strong>

**Chapter 5: Training Woes**

Ichigo left the shop with a bag slung around his elbow while he pulled the bandage tight around his injured hand. He had plucked out the glass shards and wiped down the wounds with anti-septic cloth before then binding in in the bandage. Luckily his father often got his supplies from the same medical supplier, so they did not ask about his hand, nor about his choice in purchase, only asking if he wanted to use the back room to patch himself up in.

He walked down the barren corridors, ignoring the sparse passers-by who stared at his hand and the damp crimson patches which stained the otherwise pristine white of the bandage. Truthfully, he did not care about the questions which people murmured amongst themselves as they passed; for all he cared, they were rhetorical or statements, simple as.

He walked into the centre of the complex; an indoor-garden of sorts which had benches strewn throughout the paths and a calm fountain in the middle made of light stone. He sat on the edge of the pool surrounding the fountain and sighed, looking at his distorted reflection. He knew that his hollow was right; he knew that the creature that dwelled within his soul was powerful enough to knock him out of control, and that it was now waiting for his body to be powerful enough to be worth taking control of. All he could do was wait for it, unless there was some way around it, some way to kill his hollow before it killed him.

A small figure sat down beside him, a look of worry evident on her face; the thin lips slightly down-turned, the violet eyes filled with anxiety and a probing want to know what was wrong for his sake. He turned to Rukia and exchanged a brief look with her, signifying that she was free to speak her mind.

"Ichigo," she relented. "What was that in the shop just now?"

Ichigo looked away. He did not want her to worry about him unnecessarily, especially if knowing that his hollow was on the verge of breaking free would mean that the Head-Captain took her away from him again. He was determined to keep her near for as long as he could.

"It's none of your concern," he said, his voice cold and devoid of any trace of emotion, despite his regrets lying to her again. "Just forget about it."

"Ichigo, tell me what that was all about," Rukia said firmly, her tone demanding an answer.

"I've already told you, it's none of your business," the man growled back, taking Rukia by surprise; Ichigo was never this hostile with her.

"Look, baka, I can't help you if you refuse to tell me what is wrong!" she said fiercely, to which Ichigo stood up, looming over her.

"No, Rukia, you can't help me! You don't know what it's like to live my life, so don't you dare try to tell me how to do so!" Ichigo roared. Rukia blinked and shrank back; she had clearly struck a sore nerve.

"Ichigo..." she said quietly, but the male continued to shout at her.

"Two years, Rukia," he spat. "Two goddamn _years_! You and all the Soul Reapers abandoned me! I didn't have my powers, but they could have at least come here, borrowed a Gigai and said 'hi', dammit! I wasn't expecting anything major, just some kind of indication that you guys were still there, but not even you did that! _You_, Rukia! I thought we were friends!"

"We are, Ichigo, it's just-"

"What? It's just that Yamamoto refused to allow you to see me even once in a Gigai? That Urahara found a defect in the Gigai and had to fix it? Why, Rukia?"

Rukia bit her lip and looked away guiltily. It was true, she had not been given any orders against it, nor had she for doing so either. Even so, to have been watching over him as he went through life but never giving him a sign that he was still being watched over had been cold of her. No one else that would have visited him had any right to be in Karakura Town, but she could have at least said hello once or left him something so that he knew that she was there.

"I'm sorry, Ichigo," she mumbled, and Ichigo could see he had hurt her feelings. He sighed and sat down beside her once again.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "What's done is done. Anyway, shouldn't we be heading for Urahara's?" Rukia nodded, not looking at him.

"We had best get going," she murmured sadly. "The sooner we get this done, the better."

Ichigo swore internally that he had snapped like that to his best friend, and vowed that he would make it up to her if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

><p><strong>Urahara Training Ground<strong>

"Well, it's about time that you both showed up!" Urahara announced in a happy voice. "Let's get started, shall we?"

"Sorry, Kisuke," Rukia replied, her voice still without emotion. She had refused to speak to Ichigo. "We got held up in the shops, it won't happen again."

"Oh, it's no problem, Lieutenant Kuchiki," the shop keeper brushed it off before turning to Ichigo. "Have you taken the Spiritual Supplements?"

"The what?" the orange-haired man deadpanned. Rukia sighed and threw a silver tube at him.

"Inside that tube are ten capsules," Urahara explained. "Take one each day so that your reiatsu can build up at a faster rate than normal; it should allow you to regenerate Zangetsu and materialise it again in about a week or so."

"Oh, that's cool," Ichigo said, tipping out a single red-hued, disc-like tablet and sticking it in his mouth. It tasted foul, but he did little but grimace. "Mind you, it tastes awful."

"Don't be such a baby," Rukia scoffed. "It was designed to help Soul Reapers regenerate their reiatsu after conflicts, not pansy-ass humans. Get over it." With that, the woman stalked off, arms folded over her modest chest. Urahara took the moment to ask Ichigo.

"Tell me, Ichigo, why is it that Ms Kuchiki is in a bad mood?" he asked.

"I said something I probably shouldn't have," Ichigo replied guiltily. "Say, Kisuke, could you do me a favour?"

* * *

><p>A short while later, the three were stood in a hidden region of the training ground.<p>

"Alright, Ichigo," Urahara said, striking him with the tip of his cane and forcing him from his body. "The first thing we have to do will be just like the first stage of regaining your powers before you went into Soul Society to get Rukia; we will need to test your stamina and speed and build it up again. You may be physically fit still, but your spiritual form will be weak from under use."

"I understand," Ichigo nodded. He stood in a white Soul Reaper uniform, but there was no sign of his already corroded spirit chain. "Let's just get this over with."

"Now, sing, Benehime!" Urahara roared, loosing a screaming red ripple of energy towards Ichigo, but the younger man ran the other way, determined not to get caught by the blast.

"Ha!" he gloated while sprinting. "You'll never catch me like that, Hat-'n'-Clogs!"

No sooner had he said this did the shop keeper appear before him, sword blade dug into the ground as he spun over the hilt to kick the orange-haired man as he fled. Taking the hit in the chest, Ichigo staggered backwards a short way before then dodging the flurry of haphazard slashes and shallow thrusts which Urahara opted for. Though sporadic, Ichigo could read the moves better, having faced Urahara on level ground before. He dodged left finally and brought his fist around to strike back, but the green-clad blonde man leapt aside and swung his blade into the space between, forcing Ichigo to back down.

Rukia watched the display from atop a rocky pillar not ten metres away, he arms hugging her knees to her chest and her nose atop them. Her eyes darted between the movements of both combatants, keeping perfectly in time with them. Though impressed by the speed and stamina Ichigo was showing, even now that he had no zanpakuto, she was distant in her observations, her eyes glazed with a hurt sadness. Truth be told, despite all their arguments, Ichigo had never snapped at her with such sincere venom in his words, nor had he ever had such a strong outburst towards her. She mulled over her feelings, trying to piece together what was wrong.

_He's worried about something,_ Rukia concluded. _And he doesn't want me to get in the way of that. Does he still feel responsible for his mother's death? Or maybe it's just that we never thought to borrow a Gigai and visit him? _She sighed in a display of self-loathing. She hated herself for doing that to him; he had given so much for her world and friends, yet her thank you was to watch over him behind his back. _That was cowardly, Rukia, _she scolded herself. _He's one of the best friends you could ask for, yet you just discarded him and made Ichigo feel abandoned. In fact, that wasn't just cowardly; that was spiteful and uncalled-for. He did not deserve that, not after what he's been through._

"_I've already told you, it's none of your business."_

Rukia thought about he growled warning to her in the shopping centre. Ichigo was never that hostile to her, nor did he usually brush her off like he did then. He had told her not to get involved with it because he knew he was on the verge of snapping, but instead of letting it drop and relieving the pressure, she had pushed too hard. She realised that it was her own fault that he had done that.

"You are such an idiot, Rukia," she said into her knees. "You hurt your best friend, and you didn't even think about it. Some friend you turned out to be."

Several hours later, the group were upstairs sipping tea, Ichigo being worn out completely.

"Alright, that wasn't bad," Urahara mused, looking over his notes on Ichigo's performance. "By my calculations, you should be up to strength in about eight or nine more sessions. That is certainly impressive, Ichigo, considering your amount of loss."

"Sounds good," Ichigo nodded, wincing as he went to pick up his cup with his injured hand then opted for using his left, undamaged appendage. "How long before we can try to form Zangetsu again?"

"Hm, tricky, but I would say no more than five more sessions should do it. I'll let you know in advance though." A shrill ringing filled the room as Ichigo's phone went off. Yuzu had texted him that he needed to head home with Rukia. "Sorry, Kisuke, we need to be on our way."

"I understand, Ichigo," the shop-keeper nodded. "Feel free to come back any time, you two!"

They walked through the dark of the early winter evening, the street lights casting an eerie yellow-orange glow over their route. Ichigo looked at the troubled look on Rukia's face and how she was shivering in her t-shirt. Without hesitation, he unzipped his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

"You looked cold," he said as Rukia gave him a confused glance. "It's alright, I'm wearing a jumper anyway." A few moments passed, then he spoke again. "Look, I'm really sorry about my outburst in the shops earlier; that was out of line and I didn't mean to hurt you the way I did."

"It's ok," she said. "You were right; we were harsh to disregard you like that. _That_, Ichigo, was out of line. I'm sorry that Soul Society put you through hell. And..." Rukia faltered, which was unusual but showed how difficult it was for her to say the words. "And I'm sorry that I abandoned you like that. I was hurting too because you lost your powers-" She realised what she had said and back-stepped quickly. "I mean, i-it hurt to see such a- a good friend and know he can't see you."

Ichigo chuckled lightly and ruffled her hair, receiving a disgruntled 'hey' from his target.

"I understood, midget, jeez," he replied. "Let's call it even, deal?" They shook hands.

"Deal," Rukia conceded, before kicking him hard in the shin. "And that's for calling me midget!"

"Dammit, Rukia!"

* * *

><p><strong>Kurosaki Household<strong>

The two of them were laughing in a friendly fashion when they walked in. What struck them was the eerie silence the house had. They laid eyes on a florescent yellow sticky note stuck to the microwave. Written on it in Yuzu's neat scrawl was the message;

'_Ichi-nii and Rukia-nee,_

_Sorry that I did not tell you, but I could not get a hold of you._

_Dad is going overnight to a lecture in Nekona City, and he has taken myself and Karin-chan with him. We will be back in a few days. Dinner is in the microwave, just heat it up when you guys are ready._

_Yuzu._

_PS, there leftovers in the fridge from last night if you would prefer, if not you can have that tomorrow night._

_PSS, Ichigo, this is your father. I want to make clear that you and Rukia are to make me a grandfather by the time I get back. Be sure to use the 'Kurosaki Charms' son!'_

Ichigo tore off this last sentence and balled it up before throwing it in the bin, muttering something derogatory about his father. Rukia took little notice, knowing that it was normal, and said she was going to send her report to Captain Ukitake before it was then forwarded to the Head-Captain. Ichigo just nodded and went about preparing dinner for them.

While Ichigo heated the food, Rukia pulled out her Soul Pager, safe in the confines of her and Ichigo's room, dialling the number to Squad 13 Barracks, being greeted by a friendly, white-haired man who was projected into the room in three dimensions; an advancement the Department of Research and Development had made recently.

"Hello there, Rukia, it's nice to see you again," Ukitake smiled warmly, waving. Despite the formality of her call, Rukia could not help but smile.

"Hello, Captain Ukitake," she bowed. "I trust you are well?"

"Why yes, I am feeling very well, thank you. Now, what, pray tell, is the news on Ichigo?"

"My report is as follows, sir," Rukia said, relaying her message. "The ex-substitute Soul Reaper, Ichigo Kurosaki, has begun to regain his powers at a high rate. Kisuke Urahara has trained with him earlier this evening and informed us that his growth is of a higher rate than expected. We believe that he will be able to attempt to create Zangetsu in material form within a week, provided that our estimates are accurate."

"I see," Ukitake nodded. "This is good news, Lieutenant Kuchiki. I will get this to the Head-Captain as soon as possible." Rukia bowed again.

"Thank you, sir."

"Oh, Rukia, if I may?"

"What is it, Captain?"

"Forgive my intrusion, but you appear to be withholding something," Ukitake said seriously. "Might I ask what is troubling you? Off the record, of course."

Rukia thought a moment. It was hard to hide something from her Captain, whom she had always seen as the father she did not have. In the end, she decided that telling him would be safe, especially since when Ukitake said 'off the record', it really meant just that, unlike, say, Rangiku.

"You are right, sir," she sighed, looking away. "I think I may have done something wrong. Ichigo and I went shopping this morning for clothes, and I was getting changed when I heard him talking to himself." The man frowned, but said nothing and allowed her to continue. "And then he suddenly shouted at a mirror and punched it; the strength he had in that moment was incredible. Then, once he had fixed his hand, I tried to find out what was wrong, but he blocked me out and then..." Rukia bit her lip as she thought about it. "Then he snapped at me."

The hologramatic form placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"You are worried about him, aren't you, Rukia?" he said, to which the woman nodded. "I am sorry to have to tell you this, but there was a strong hollow presence at the place and time you described just now." Rukia's eyes widened. "We fear that Ichigo's hollow may still be alive inside of him. If that is the case, then this outburst may have been his doing."

* * *

><p><em>Oh yeah! Two chapters posted on consecutive evenings!<em>

_Yes, I did spend most of today doing this, but who cares? I **love**__writing!_

_Yeah, I know, I'm weird, but oh well._

_Anyway, thumbs up or thumbs down? Leave a review and let me know if it's good, where I can improve, any pointers, you know the drill._

_Also, if you wish to discuss anything you don't understand, or what to give me pointers about my future plot lines, for any of my stories, leave me a message in my PM box._

_Right, I'm going to bed, so goodnight everyone!_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Brief: **Just over two years after he lost his Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo starts being able to sense spirits again, but what else will emerge as his powers start to re-emerge?_

_**Spoiler Warnings: **Post 423: Farewell Swords_

_**Note:** If you are looking for the continuation of my After the Winter War series, this is not it! **This is separate to my other works!**_

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki (of course), IshiHime, possible others include ByaHis_

_**A/N: **I'm sorry for the unannounced reprieve from this, but I've been busy lately. I'm back for now, and I will try to keep the ideas flowing._

* * *

><p><strong>Darkest Side of Me<strong>

**Chapter 6: School Day Blues**

Rukia's eyes widened further in fear. She had never been afraid of how the teenager had an inner hollow, mostly because she knew that he would not lose control of the creature which had infected his soul when he had gained his powers to save her from Soul Society all that time ago, but now that he hadn't been in his spirit form and his reiatsu was so much lower, she was not so certain that Ichigo would hold it at bay if the hollow pressured him for control.

"Are you certain, Captain?" she asked weakly, her head spinning slightly, though she remained as composed as possible.

"I am sure that the hollow was nearby, and the power was very high, too high to go unnoticed," the white-haired hologram nodded. "I realise that this is a shock to you, and that it also may be nothing, so I have not passed this information on to the Head-Captain. However, I want you to let me know if Ichigo's condition worsens; if he loses control of his hollow, the damage both to the World of the Living and to himself could be catastrophic. Do you understand, Rukia?"

"I do, sir," the Lieutenant nodded. "I will report back to you in a week. Goodbye, Captain Ukitake."

"Take care, Rukia." The man smiled sincerely before his projected form started to dissolve into nothingness, leaving Rukia in the silence of her host's room.

_Ichigo's hollow... _she thought. _I have never seen it before without Ichigo being in control. His Vizard abilities always gave him an eerie presence, what with the mask and reiatsu, but Byakuya said that his hollow is ruthless and untamed. It must be a strain on Ichigo to have to control that creature the way he does. I just hope that we can keep him under control for long enough to finish his training; then he will be strong enough to fight it._

A knock on the door awoke Rukia from her thoughts as Ichigo stepped in, carrying a tray in his hands. The orange-haired man put the tray on the desk, which allowed Rukia to see it was a pair of plates of food and two drinks sat on it, before then sitting beside her.

"Did you send the report?" he asked curiously. She nodded without speaking. "That's good. How is-"

"I know, Ichigo!" she burst, startling the man. "I know why you acted the way you did in the shops today." Rukia bit her lip, turning her face away from him. "I know that your hollow is pressuring you over dominance."

Ichigo's eyes widened fearfully. _Did I make it that obvious?_ he wondered. _And if I did, does that mean she's going back to Soul Society?_

"Captain Ukitake told me about it," she corrected his thoughts without being told what they were. "He also said he wouldn't pass it on to the Head-Captain."

"That's a relief," he sighed thankfully.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Her look was not of anger or frustration, more confusion merged with a pinch of hurt.

"I was afraid, Rukia," he admitted, looking away. "I don't want you to be taken away from me again, not after last time."

The petite woman shuffled over and hugged him close.

"Baka," she said softly. "I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Day<strong>

Ichigo woke with a start at the piercing sound of his alarm as it did its business, blissfully unaware of the darkness inside the teen's head. He stood up and stretched himself, before then pulling out his uniform and putting it on. Just as he was about to leave the room, he became simultaneously aware of two things; first was the fact that Rukia was no longer in the bed where they had both slept the night before, the second that his phone was buzzing against the desk. He picked up the small device and flipped the screen open.

"Hey, Karin," he greeted, stifling a yawn.

"We didn't wake you, did we, Ichi-nii?" the dark-haired girl asked on the other end of the phone.

"Nah, just got up. What's up?"

"Goat Chin wanted me to let you know there's been a change of plan and that we're going to be gone for two weeks, not two days," Karin sighed. "Apparently he read the poster wrong and didn't realise until we arrived. Are you and Rukia-nee going to be alright on your own?"

"Two weeks without Goat Chin?" Ichigo repeated, then he let out chuckle. "Man, I feel sorry for you and Yuzu, Karin."

"Thanks, Ichi-nii," Karin said, and he practically hear the girl roll her eyes at him before she hung up.

Heading downstairs, Ichigo was surprised to find Rukia perched on the window ledge of the bay window, a development he had always been against but found somewhat good in the end. She had her Soul Pager in hand, but she pocketed it once she noticed Ichigo. She smiled his way in a way that he knew only he would ever see, before then hopping off of the white wood and onto the floor, the smile lingering as long as possible, for it was rare for her to use it without it being forced.

"Hey," Ichigo greeted. "You ready to head out?"

"Sure," Rukia nodded, picking up a light blue scarf which they had bought the day before and wrapping it around her exposed neck. "That was Kisuke, by the way," she explained as they left the building. "He says that the readings for your reiatsu are higher than expected, and that you should be able to re-establish your zanpakuto by the end of the week."

Ichigo nodded, but a chilling voice filled his head once again.

"_Higher than expected?_" the hollow purred. "_You can thank me for that, King. After all, it's my reiatsu which is boosting yours, just as it always was._"

"Urusai!" Ichigo snapped back, forgetting that Rukia was talking to him. She glared, but noticed the look on his face and understood.

"Your hollow, I presume?" she asked. Ichigo just nodded in response. "He won't take over you, you know. I'll make sure of that if you don't."

"Thanks, Rukia," Ichigo smiled weakly as they walked, ignoring the cackling in his head.

* * *

><p>"Ok, students, settle down!" Ochi-sensei called over the class. "Today we have a new student transferring back after two years of absence. Most of you know her already, but it's protocol to do this, so I would like you to treat her as well as you did last time. Got it?"<p>

There was a mumble which ran through the class, but Ichigo already knew who it was even before she entered the room. When she did, the class started to chatter excitedly.

"Hello, everyone," Rukia smiled, speaking in her sweet, innocent voice. "It's been too long. My name is Rukia Kuchiki, 'Kuchiki' meaning 'rotten wood' and Rukia meaning 'light flower'."

"It's good to have you back again, Rukia," Ochi-sensei smiled to the petite girl. "Now, if you would like to take the seat next to Ichigo again, that should not be a problem."

"Thank you, sensei," Rukia bowed slightly to the teacher before making a beeline for her seat. Already she could tell that people were becoming interested in her reasons for returning.

"Alright, class, today we'll be-" A screech blared over the intercom over the school as it turned on with a grinding noise.

"Attention all teachers," came the message. "You are all to report to the headmaster's office for an important meeting immediately. That is all."

"Jeez, they couldn't have been more annoying with this," Ochi-sensei sighed. "Alright, talk amongst yourselves for now, I'll be back in a moment. And if I find the classroom is upside down or anything like that, I'll personally put the culprits in detention. That goes for you too, Asano!"

And with that she vanished into the corridor. Rukia and the gang stood and moved over to Ichigo's desk, where he sat against the desk instead of on the chair.

"It's good to see you again, Rukia," Orihime smiled, hugging the shorter woman tightly.

"It's good to see you too, Orihime!" Rukia said, struggling free of the auburn-haired woman's crushing embrace.

"So, what brings you to Karakura, Kuchiki?" Uryu asked, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Are you on duty over this area?"

"No, I'm here on a special mission," Rukia corrected. "I'm sure that it can't have escaped your notice, being someone of great reiatsu detection ability, that Ichigo's reiatsu is returning slowly."

"I have been aware of this for about a month," the Quincy nodded. "However, it is only now that I can fully detect that his power is increasing."

"That's because of me. I am here to increase Ichigo's reiatsu faster and also ensure he is trained again with his zanpakuto."

"Just because I lost my powers, doesn't mean I've forgotten my training!" Ichigo growled.

"I am glad you're back, Rukia," the giant stood over the group said sincerely. "Ichigo has not quite been the same since he lost his powers."

"Hey! Chad, what the hell?" the orange-haired man protested.

"He's right you know, Ichigo," Uryu joined in the taunts. "After all, you felt unable to protect people when that happened and Kuchiki disappeared. You practically moped the whole two years."

"Why you!" Ichigo barked. "Why don't you shut the fu-"

"Oi, Kurosaki!" a stern voice bellowed from the door. "We'll have none of that language here!" Ochi-sensei returned to her desk with an agitated expression. "Honestly," she added in a muttered rant. "Of all the stupid pranks to pull... Alright, class, take your seats, turn to page one-hundred-and-thirty-seven and take out your homework from last week. Asano, I swear if you don't have it this time I'll put you in detention until you do!"

* * *

><p>The day went by in its usual fashion until lunchtime, whereupon everyone went up to the roof as usual. Uryu sat down with Orihime perched beside him, the two sharing their lunches and the odd hug or peck on the cheek when they thought no one was looking. Beside the pair was Tatsuki, who had a smile on her face from the way her best friend had found the perfect someone already, Keigo, who had been doing an impression of some kind, though no one paid him any mind, and Mizuiro, who was texting his own girlfriend avidly.<p>

Opposite the three were Ichigo and Rukia with Chad sat close-by. Ichigo opened his bento and placed it between himself and Rukia while she puzzled over the drinks which the male had brought in with them, her face screwed up in a look of determined frustration, her tongue hanging out slightly, as she attempted to get the straw into the carton.

"Damn this infernal juice box!" she cursed finally. "It's clearly broken."

"Just because you can't open it," Ichigo said smugly, earning him a 'you're-gonna-die-for-that' look from the Soul Reaper. "Here, try this instead." She took the strange silver container from him and turned it around a few times. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to find the straw, of course," Rukia said distantly. Tatsuki snickered and caught her attention. "What? Did I say something funny?"

"You don't need a straw for that," the tomboy explained. "Use the pull-ring on the top to break the seal and open it."

Rukia's face lit up at the prospect of a new challenge as she endeavoured to locate it. Having found the raised piece of metal, she grinned at her ability and tried to lift it. At first it was difficult to lift it up, but she eventually got it in time for the ring to flex back into place and snap onto her small digit.

"Ow!" she yelped, withdrawing her hand. "You lousy piece of-" She stood up and raised the can of soft drink overhead.

"Wait, Rukia! Don't-" Too late.

The can slammed into the ground at full force, buckled in three places and sprayed the dark, sticky liquid across the area, soaking not only the hapless assailant of the can, but also a few of the neighbouring people, including a rather disgruntled looking substitute.

"Goddammit, Rukia!" he bellowed, standing up and shaking the drink from his hands. "Why can you never listen to me for five seconds? Now look what you've done!"

Rukia shrank back, embarrassed. She knew it had been an over-reaction, but she had not been expecting Ichigo to explode at her as if he were the can. Inside Ichigo's head, the hollow cackled again.

"_That's it, King,_" it purred darkly. "_Let your anger out! The more you do, the closer I get to your body becoming __**my**__ body!_"

The noise in his head grew as people talked together, some about nothing, others comforting Rukia and telling her it had not been her fault. The voices echoed with the laughter and became a loud drone, becoming more and more intense, until Ichigo could take no more.

"Everybody shut the hell up!" he practically screamed at the fairly quiet group, his head spinning as the hollow backed away. Tatsuki stood up.

"There's no need to yell, dumbass!" she scolded firmly. "You go off at Rukia over nothing and then suddenly everyone else has to listen to you?"

"Tatsuki, please," Rukia tried to get Tatsuki to back down, noticing how Ichigo was not looking so good, but she refused to acknowledge this.

"What makes you think you're better than us?" she went on. "Is it because you're finally getting you wish?"

Ichigo clutched his head unsteadily and tottered to one side, looking very unstable, but Rukia was there in a heart beat to help him down onto the floor.

"Tatsuki," Rukia repeated more firmly now that the girl had stopped. "It's not his fault."

"Not his fault?" Tatsuki looked down upon Ichigo; she had to admit that he did not seem in the best shape. "What's wrong with him?"

"It's... difficult," the small Soul Reaper hesitated on her choice of words. "I would explain, but it's a little difficult to know."

Although not convinced, Tatsuki accepted that she could not tell her and let the subject drop without prying further. Rukia sighed inwardly as she checked Ichigo.

_I always did hate school days,_ she thought.

* * *

><p><em>Alright, this one has a shorter ending than I planned, but I think this is sufficient.<em>

_I apologise for it if it seems rushed, but I could not see any reason to not cut it short if it means posting this chapter practically a week ahead of otherwise._

_Anyway, you know the drill. Let me know what you like and hate, I'll try to work on them._

_Thanks to everyone who is reading my work, by the way; you guys and girls are why I joined FanFiction!_

_For now, keep on dreaming!_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Brief: **Just over two years after he lost his Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo starts being able to sense spirits again, but what else will emerge as his powers start to re-emerge?_

_**Spoiler Warnings: **Post 423: Farewell Swords_

_**Note:** If you are looking for the continuation of my After the Winter War series, this is not it! **This is separate to my other works!**_

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki (of course), IshiHime, possible others include ByaHis._

* * *

><p><strong>Darkest Side of Me<strong>

**Chapter 7: More than meets the Eye**

The sun was getting low in the sky when the man reached his destination. It was not uncommon to be summoned to the barracks of another squad, but it was much less common for a noble to be looking around another squad's barracks without being called for. His steely gaze fell upon the white-haired man speaking with his colourful friend animatedly and, despite how it impressed him how the man was able to stay in condition to be a Captain for as long as he had, marched towards the old friends with a stoic expression placed firmly on his features.

"Ah, Byakuya," Ukitake greeted warmly. "What brings you here? Care for a drink?"

"You may dispense with the pleasantries, Captain Ukitake," the younger Captain practically scolded. "I wish to know if you have spoken with my sister recently, and how she is progressing with her mission."

"I see," the man nodded from his seat, sipping from the shallow, bowl-like cup in his hand. "Yes, I have spoken with my Lieutenant, since we are on business terms. She has informed me that Ichigo is making excellent progress, much higher than the estimates we were given by Kisuke Urahara before hand. It is now believed that his zanpakuto could be reformed by the end of the week instead of the month."

"I understand," Byakuya nodded, though something still bugged him. "And what of the hollow reiatsu readings in the area?"

"Byakuya, please," Ukitake brushed off the question. "It was a tiny reading, even you must accept that. Rukia did not mention any hollows in her report, since it is nothing to do with the mission, but we can only assume that either she or the resident Soul Reaper of the district took care of it quickly. Was it not obvious that the reading was very nearby to Rukia's?"

"Indeed it was, but I do not like it, Jushiro," Byakuya looked away slightly. "I am worried that the boy may be hiding his hollow from us, and that it was his energy emission that we detected."

"There is no way to be sure, but it only lasted for a second. As I said, it most probably perished very quickly."

Their gazes locked and the tension could be felt in the air before Byakuya nodded, satisfied by this, and showed himself out. Kyoraku sighed when he was sure that the noble had left, pulling the brim of his large hat over his face a little more.

"Jeez, that was close," he mused with little hint of anxiety in his voice. "Do you think he really believes any of that?"

"Let's hope so," Ukitake said uncertainly. "Else this winter could become rather frosty for everyone."

* * *

><p>The small group looked anxiously at the man laid down over the floor. Ichigo had not moved for about fifteen minutes, and every minute that passed by made Rukia all the more worried about her ex-substitute. She knew his hollow was powerful, though she had wondered for a time whether it had been behind the destructive energy beam which had torn through the dome of Los Noches, but she had not been expecting such a violent reaction so soon after his reiatsu was awakened again. Finally, his eyes scrunched together as he came to, lifting himself uneasily into a sitting position.<p>

"Hey, guys," he announced as if he had simply left the room only to return moments later. "What's with those looks?"

"Ichigo..." Rukia's eyes were wide and her fear was evident in the irises. Ichigo went to tell her not to worry when he felt her tiny fist slam into his skull. "You baka! What the hell kind of way is that to greet your friends? I thought your father taught you to have manners!"

"What?" he bellowed, rubbing his sore head. "That's no way to react after someone's been unconscious, moron! You're gonna give me brain damage if you keep this up, you damned midget!"

"DON'T CALL ME MIDGET, STRAWBERRY!"

"MAKE ME!"

The two of them traded insults and blows in normal fashion, causing everyone to sigh or shake their heads at how they could act as though nothing had happened. The day wore on, time in lessons ticking away slowly as if the hands of time had rusted over. Ichigo gazed outside and risked the odd glance at Rukia as she doodled bunnies in her book (or rather what he _assumed_ were bunnies, it was hard to tell). Art had been interesting; draw the person you look up to or trust most. Ichigo had been adamant not to allow anyone to see his, though Rukia boasted about her attempt at Byakuya with a great sense of pride, despite the fact that she had drawn him with a pair of rabbits ears and a poorly drawn body in general.

* * *

><p>"Oh my," Urahara said as the cavern shook. He had told Ichigo to force all his reiatsu outwards so that he could gauge his power level, but it had more than trebled the estimated amount. "This is very unexpected indeed. But, on the plus side, it seems that you're ready for the reformation ceremony!"<p>

"Great, how do I do that?" Ichigo asked, eager to feel the grip of Zangetsu's blade in his hands once more.

"Simple," the shop keeper smiled, pulling the brim of his hat over his eyes. "You have to fight Rukia to the point of exhaustion."

It took a few moments for Ichigo to comprehend what had been said.

"Nani?" he asked.

"Mai, Sode no Shirayuki!" Rukia called out, coating the area in delicate white snow. "Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!"

The blast of ice missed Ichigo by inches as he sprang away in his white hakama.

"Dammit, what the hell, Rukia?" he shouted before turning on Urahara. "Oi, Hat-'n'-Clogs! What the hell is going on?"

"You have to fight Rukia to exhaustion!" the man shouted back. "Oh, and you shouldn't be watching me!"

Sure enough, Ichigo turned in time for Rukia's frail-looking sword to cleave through the area of space he had been stood in moments earlier. The look in her eyes showed no remorse or emotion except that of her will to kill him. He pushed off, knowing he could use Shunpo if needs be but keeping that for last resort.

"Don't I get some kind of weapon or armour? I could be killed!" he protested further.

"How do you know that's not the plan?" Urahara asked, clearly amused.

"Why you-!"

"Hado 31, Shakkaho!" The superheated red kido shot passed by much less distance than Ichigo had anticipated, but he was able to recover in time to use Shunpo to escape Rukia's sight.

"Kisuke!" he barked angrily.

"Alright, here," the blonde man smirked, throwing a tube a little larger than a pen at him. "Grip it in both hands," Ichigo did as he instructed. "Raise it over your head," Again, he obediently followed. "Now say the words 'By the power of friendship, ultimate sword of justice, activate'!"

"Like hell I'm saying that!" He went to throw the tube on the floor when a beam of white light shot passed his head. "Alright, fine! By the power of friendship, ultimate sword of justice, activate!"

"What do you know, I can still make you say this ridiculous stuff," Urahara grinned.

The tube shimmered briefly before the energy massed into a ball of light which shot upwards into a katana blade. He did not take much time to admire the weapon or the time it must have taken to make as Rukia was bearing down on him. He ran towards her at full speed and their blades met with a flurry of sparks and the grinding of steel on steel. They parted, backing away, but Ichigo's long dormant reflexes kicked in, kicking up quickly into another lunge. He missed the small disc of light at Rukia's hand until he was repulsed by an invisible force, the blade falling from his grip.

Rukia was quick to respond, kicking him in the back and focussing a quick Hainawa onto Ichigo as he came to a halt. The unruly yellow ribbon twisted around his arms and bound them together.

"Hado 33, Sokatsui!" Rukia yelled.

The blue fire scorched the Bakudo away and charred Ichigo's robes and left arm, but he reacted with haste, grabbing the fallen sword hilt and battling on with Rukia. His reflexes were good, but, after several hours sparing, his reiatsu was on the verge of collapse; he knew he was at his limit, and he knew that Rukia was pressuring him about this fact. Before long his weapon was flicked to one side and he was on the ground beneath Rukia, Sode no Shirayuki's snowy blade pointed at his chest.

"I am Rukia Kuchiki," she announced solemnly. "Tell me your name, human."

Ichigo understood and smiled.

"Ichigo Kurosaki," he replied. "And I'm a Substitute Soul Reaper."

The blade pierced his heart but he felt no pain, only a warm sensation in his right hand. A ball of blue-white light was building at his hand, smaller parts swirling around fiercely like electrons around an atom, until it could take no more and became a great flash of blinding light.

When the smoke cleared, Rukia was stood by Urahara, zanpakuto sheathed as Ichigo emerged. In his right hand was a long sword with a katana-like black and silver blade. The bronze tsuba was in the shape of a crescent moon and the grip was a bloody hue of red. From the hilt hung two short blue chords. Across the man's chest was a red length of cloth. He placed the blade against the cloth and a dark blue sheath formed itself out of reshi.

Rukia smiled at Ichigo, who was now wearing the black hakama of a Soul Reaper but with a pair of bindings across his hands and wrists as well as his neck. The man grinned back to her as he came over.

"You knew all along, didn't you, Rukia?" he asked. She blushed a little.

"Yeah," she admitted. "Sorry I couldn't tell you, else you wouldn't give it your all."

"Hey, I would too!"

"Yeah right, you'd just go half and then give up. I know you would have."

"So, Ichigo, I take it that is Zangetsu's sealed state," Urahara announced, breaking up the tension in the air.

"Huh?" Ichigo drew his zanpakuto, the sheath turning back into reshi at his will to unsheathe the weapon. "I guess so. How do I use my Shikai then?"

"Zangetsu should have told you the release command when you took your powers again," the shop keeper said from behind his fan. "Try releasing now."

"Alright, here goes," Ichigo gripped Zangetsu tightly in both hands and focussed his reiatsu. "For the sake of protecting what we must, stand and cleave the moon, Zangetsu!"

The weapon transformed in an instant into an over-sized cleaver. The blade curled round at the tip with an circular indent in the blade from the point into the flat of the blade and also at the opposing end of the silver cutting-edge. As before, the sword was silver on the cutting edge and black on the non-edged side of the blade, but the hilt was now a cylindrical shaft with larger cylinders on both ends and a length of chain hung from the hilt. Ichigo staggered a little from the exertion of releasing his Shikai with his weakened body, but smiled, shouldering the blade as he always used to.

"How's that?" he asked, receiving a smile from Rukia. The simple sight of the sword made her zanpakuto more than happy.

"_I am glad,"_ she heard Shirayuki say in her mind. _"to see such a friendly blade again. That other weapon Ichigo used was so dull and emotionless."_

_I agree, Shirayuki,_ Rukia thought back. _It is good to see Ichigo like this again; he was always so happy as a Soul Reaper._

"Oi, Rukia, you in there?" Ichigo asked, tapping her forehead. She swatted his hand away furiously, a pink hue creeping over her cheeks as she looked away. "We should be heading home. Come on."

Rukia smiled and nodded, heading towards the exit with orange-haired man who was now officially a Soul Reaper beside her; just two friends, glad to be with one another.

* * *

><p>The burst of reiatsu which had created Zangetsu was like an explosion, and the fallout of the blast could be felt by a handful of people all over the small town. At the opposite side of Karakura town, where the Ishida residence was, a certain bespectacled man and his busty girlfriend flinched at the sudden sensation of the fresh reiatsu as it swamped over them and passed in a matter of moments. They smiled at one another as the surge of energy swept passed them before exchanging a heated kiss, their energies intertwined.<p>

They barely felt the second burst as Ichigo released his Shikai, nor did they notice a slight disturbance as a flash of white bathed the dark street before retreating into the murk from whence it came. A single figure, clothed entirely in black with a katana sheathed behind it, stepped into the faded orange glow of a failing street light, briefly taking in their surroundings before shimmering out of sight.

Had anyone seen this strange happening, they would have thought that they had dreamt it up in a daze or a simple trick of the light.

* * *

><p>The noble walked at a fast pace over the gantry which led to Squad 1's barracks, his face stoic as always though his reiatsu was sharp and silently enraged. It was rare for Byakuya to be heading for the barracks without there being a Captain's meeting, but the terms of his visit were not social in the slightest. He strode up to the huge wooden doors and stopped before the Lieutenant who stood there.<p>

"Captain Kuchiki," the man said formally. "I am afraid the Head-Captain is very busy at this moment. Would you like me to pass on a message when he is available?"

"That won't be necessary, Lieutenant Sasakibe," Byakuya's tone was level, yet there was an underlying hint of murderous intent if he was prevented by the Lieutenant, causing the latter to gulp visibly. "Head-Captain Yamamoto is expecting me. Now, please stand aside."

"I-"

"Let him pass, Lieutenant," the gruff voice of Yamamoto growled out at the man. He walked out of the now open doors, his left arm missing from the battle with Aizen two years ago. The Lieutenant bowed and moved away quickly, not wanting to intrude. "Now then, what is this matter which you wish to speak about, Captain Kuchiki?"

"I understand that Squad 12 had some interference in the vicinity of my sister, sir," the noble kept his tone level. "I was informed by Captain Ukitake that it was a hollow which Rukia has now slain."

"Then what is the problem?" the old man was growing impatient. "Surely you trust the word of a fellow Captain, one of the oldest there is at that?"

"Head-Captain, I do not doubt that Captain Ukitake is trustworthy," Byakuya dismissed the claim. "However, I do know that he shares a close relationship, both with his squad and my sister, and I have no doubt that he would lie to his fellow Captains at her request."

"Are you suggesting treason?" Yamamoto's tone was deadly serious as he spoke. "Choose your words carefully, Captain, for you are on dangerous ground."

"I think that Rukia is covering for the boy," Byakuya's eyes glowered a little at the thought of Ichigo. "He may still have the hollow which ran rampant when he first came to Soul Society inside of him. In which case, he may be losing control of it while fooling my sister that he is the dominant being."

Silence fell briefly as the old Captain considered this.

"The thought has come up in my mind as well," he conceded. "It is not often that such a thing occurs to a Soul Reaper, but in the event of it going out of control, I fear that not even the Captains will be able to guarantee a triumph over such a creature. However, Ichigo Kurosaki is a valuable asset to Soul Society, therefore we must act accordingly; we cannot risk his hollow going out of control, but nor can we afford to lose such an asset to our forces.

"I understand your turmoil, Captain Kuchiki," Yamamoto went on. "I know that you promised your late wife that you would protect Rukia Kuchiki under any circumstance," Byakuya's face never faltered, though his eyes lost a shade of two in tone. "For that reason, I am sending a member of the Stealth Force to investigate Ichigo Kurosaki and the area of Karakura town to ensure there is no danger. I do not want you to interfere unless I inform you otherwise. Do you understand my order?"

"I do, Head-Captain, sir," Byakuya agreed. "Thank you for doing this."

"Very well," Yamamoto turned around and entered the large room once more. "You may leave now."

As the heavy doors came to a halt, Byakuya arrived at Kuchiki Manor, making his way for Hisana's shrine quickly. He slid open the doors and lit the red candles ceremoniously around his late wife's portrait before kneeling before her smiling face.

"Hisana," he said in a sorrowful, regretful tone. "I am doing my best to keep my promise to you, but I fear that I may be doing wrong." He looked sadly into her deep blue-purple irises, softly touching the ornate frame in which her delicate form sat. "What would you have me do?"

* * *

><p><em>Yeah, I like the whole 'loyal to the late wife' thing Byakuya has.<em>

_I'd like to think he secretly confides in the portrait when he is at a loss or needs a moral compass in his life._

_Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter; I'm glad I decided to double update this time, but still, that's just me._

_Anyway, please don't be shy if you notice something glaringly obvious which is good or bad; please read and review for me._

* * *

><p><em><strong>(*SPOILER*ALERT*)<strong>_

_Who else was psyched about the latest chapter in the Bleach Manga? The all-new Tensa Zangetsu looks good, in my opinion, but I personally wanted something more like Saiga no Getsuga Tenshou. What about you?_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Brief: **Just over two years after he lost his Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo starts being able to sense spirits again, but what else will emerge as his powers start to re-emerge?_

_**Spoiler Warnings: **Post 423: Farewell Swords_

_**Note:** If you are looking for the continuation of my After the Winter War series, this is not it! **This is separate to my other works!**_

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki (of course), IshiHime, possible others include ByaHis._

_**A/N: **As of now, bold and italic text in speech marks is Ichigo's hollow speaking from his inner world, whereas italic alone in speech marks is Zangetsu, and no speech-marked italics are thoughts._

* * *

><p><strong>Darkest Side of Me<strong>

**Chapter 8: Night Watch**

"Be careful, Ichigo," Rukia's calm voice said to him. "You're still regaining your powers, so don't over do it on weak hollows such as the ones which will appear tonight. If you need help, flare your reiatsu, and I will support you."

"Right," Ichigo nodded before they split up and headed in opposing directions.

No sooner had Rukia left did Ichigo close his eyes and focus.

_Zangetsu,_ he thought-spoke to the zanpakuto. _Can you hear me?_

"_I can, Ichigo,"_ Zangetsu replied. _"It is good to hear your voice again."_

_The feeling is mutual, old friend... Tell me, is my hollow really going to go out of control?_

"_It is a possibility, but do not let that stop you from training. Remember my words; do not look back or let fear stop you, else you will fall behind."_

"Thanks, old man Zangetsu," Ichigo said, opening his eyes as he felt a shift in the air nearby. "What's that? Is it a hollow?" The reiatsu flowed over him viciously, tearing animalistically at his own being. "Such power... It must be an arrancar!"

The newly reborn Soul Reaper vanished into the air and made his way to the source, finding a new figure stood in the air. It stood in the wind, its humanoid form was coated in white hierro like an armour, but it was not an arrancar; it was still a hollow in form, due to the complete mask and armour. Covering it's form was a brown, hooded cloak with the hood pulled back. It's piercing blue irises shone through the triple slitted visor of the mask, glaring at Ichigo.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, I presume," it spoke in a fairly regal tone. "I am glad that it is you who came to meet me."

"Who the hell are you?" Ichigo asked. "You look like a hollow, but you have a zanpakuto. Are you an arrancar?"

"Pah, hardly," the mystery hollow scoffed. "My name is Tieran. Tieran Alrask. I'm a member of the elite of the hollows, a group called the Knights of Hueco Mundo."

"Never heard of you."

"It is to be expected," Tieran went on, his tone light as he walked towards Ichigo. "We are an autonomous force set up by those who seized power after Aizen's defeat two years ago, therefore our actions would not be known to you."

"What are you doing here, Knight of Hueco Mundo?" Ichigo asked, his hand raised to Zangetsu's hilt in a defensive measure.

"Calm down, Kurosaki, I mean you no harm," the hollow explained, gesturing for him to lower his hand. "I have no interest in fighting you, although my business is indeed involving you. I have been sent for your hollow side; we wish to make use of you as a fellow member of the Court of Ickross., whether that be a knight such as I or an elder. We could use a being of your power to balance the power in Hueco Mundo."

"As much as I like the fact that Hueco Mundo is now becoming a democracy," Ichigo said, not phased by this news. If anything, he had expected it after the Aizen incident. "I'm afraid I have to decline. I am a human and a Substitute Soul Reaper, therefore I cannot just abandon my position here to help your cause, no matter how good it may be. Now, I'm asking you to leave this place, Tieran Alrask."

Tieran sighed and rubbed his temples.

"You seem very adamant about this, which is unfortunate," he replied. "I thought you would want help halting your hollow side from its conquest to take over your body." Ichigo's eyes widened from this news, but he stayed in position, even when Tieran used Sonido to appear beside him. "Oh, yes, we know of your hollow, Ichigo Kurosaki. The power which destroyed Ulquiorra Schifer above Los Noches two years previous, the power which can bring gods to their knees. And we know full well that you are no longer in control. Your hollow is running rampent within you, waiting for you to become as powerful in body as he is. And when you are, he will strike.

"I have seen this style before, you see, and I do not want such potential to go to waste. That is why I am here. Are you interested in the position now?"

Ichigo gulped. _Dammit,_ he thought. _This guy is right; my hollow is ready to take over, he's only waiting for me to catch up to him so that he can claim it. I have to become stronger, so that that doesn't happen; I will fight him again, I will destroy him again, and I will become a Vizard again. Can I do that without these people?_ Ichigo looked to the hollow and shook his head.

"I decline again," he said firmly. "I cannot leave my family and friends behind so readily, Alrask, and I certainly don't need your help."

"Hm," Tieran mused, vanishing and returning to his original position in the sky. "You are more stubborn than I imagined possible, Kurosaki. You will regret your decision, and when that time comes, we will be waiting for you in Hueco Mundo."

Tieran brought his right arm up to his left shoulder, then swung it straight. A bright flash of blue light bathed the area, and he was long gone by the time the light faded away. No sooner had that happened did Rukia appear behind Ichigo.

"Ichigo," she announced, confused by the fact he was stood in the air with an arm shielding his eyes as if from a powerful light. "What happened? I detected an intense reiatsu around here but it disappeared before I arrived. Did you kill it?"

"It ran," Ichigo said, his tone masking his worries and the events which had taken place. "I doubt we will see it again for a long time."

"That's good," Rukia nodded. "It felt like a Vasto Lorde had arrived. That would have been bad for Karakura Town. Anyway," she went on, turning and walking away. "I'm going to finish my rounds. I'll see you back at your house."

"_Our_ house," Ichigo corrected. Rukia stopped and turned her head to face him again. "You are as much a part of my family as I am, Rukia."

Rukia's mouth opened a little to say something, but she could not find the words. She shut her mouth and looked down with thoughtful eyes, then disappeared again in a shimmer of Shunpo. Ichigo looked up at the moon and smiled a little, now alone in the dark night.

"She never changes," he muttered before going about his own rounds once more, unaware of the being stood nearby, cloaked in shadows, observing his every move.

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Day<strong>

Ichigo awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright, propped up by his arms for some time, before he then swung his legs over the edge of his shared bed and leaning forward, cupping his forehead between the pads of his right thumb, index and middle finger while his left hand hung limp on his knee. He let out a shaky sigh, still recovering from the grip of his nightmare.

It was the same nightmare as before, only this time there had been no sign of Zangetsu anywhere. He had tried to contact his zanpakuto, but it had been in vain before the monstrosity that was his hollow had awoken him. The nightmares had become more consistent, more torturing and much darker since they had begun, but it was the first time that Zangetsu had not arrived, and that both puzzled and chilled Ichigo.

Ordinarily, he would assume it was his psyche trying to scare him further than it had succeeded to, but the fact that he had only just restored Zangetsu's physical state troubled the Substitute. It sounded ridiculous, but having Zangetsu's zapakuto form now at the ready suddenly did not seem as important now that he could not see the spirit in his nightmare. Not for the first time, his hollow's dark words from their fight long ago echoed in his head.

_'I am Zangetsu!'_

Ichigo shuddered, running his right hand through his hair. He was worried, and it was evident on his features that he was close to his breaking point. But he knew he could not give in to the intimidations that the sadistic creature threw his way; if he let it walk all over him, he would never let it go.

He looked over his shoulder to the gently rising and falling mass of covers, the long mess of tangled raven hair protruding from the soft white shield which obscured Rukia's petite form from his view. She had her back to him, but the continuous, consistent soft snores told Ichigo that she was asleep still, despite his sudden movement, for which he was thankful. He still had not been able to tell her that his nightmare that first night had not been about his mother, but his hollow. She may have found out about his hollow being alive, and that it was behind his strange actions in the shopping centre, but that did not mean that she realised how powerful its influence was on him; this news could be all it takes to tear them apart again, and Ichigo refused to let that happen if at all possible.

Reluctantly, he hoisted himself up and crept out of his bedroom, heading for the bathroom. Once there, he attempted to calm his racing heartbeat, splashing a handful of cold water onto his clammy flesh, the salty taste of sweat dripping into his mouth as it made its way towards the awaiting sink below his chin. The orange-haired man sighed, hands braced against opposing sides of the ceramic sink.

"_What's wrong, king?"_ came the voice again, its tone mocking him with sarcastic sympathy and worry. _"You look pretty tense. Maybe if I take over, your problems will disappear too... along with you!"_

"Shut the hell up, you bastard!" Ichigo growled into the mirror, his bleached reflection grinning evilly back. "You're the reason I'm in this state, so just back off!"

"_Oh my, this won't do,"_ the hollow stated darkly. _"Such a violent temper, and such a vicious tongue you have; you don't want to go hurting my feelings, do you now, King? It could get messy, especially if your Queen gets caught in i-"_

"DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH HER!" Ichigo roared, his malice leaking out in his words. "You even _think_ about touching her, and I'll rip your head off myself! You are nothing but a memory of what could have been, so don't fuck with me!"

"_You seem to forget, King,"_ the hollow said, his mouth a deep frown. _"I'm the one who has dominance in this power-struggle. I control you psyche, and there is nothing you can do about that. As soon as your body is powerful enough to withstand my form, I _will_ take control, and your little **bitch** will be the first to taste my wrath!"_

"Shut up!" Ichigo roared in fury, wrenching the mirror away from it's place on the wall and throwing it full force into the wall over the bathtub. "You are nothing! NOTHING!"

"...Ichigo..." Rukia's voice was faint in the haze of his head, but Ichigo could understand her. He looked at her worried violet orbs, then down to his hands, which were cut shallowly by the glass and tile which had broken when he threw the mirror. He looked over the destruction he had caused and sank down to the floor, cupping his head in his hands.

"What the hell is happening to me, Rukes?" he asked.

Rukia was taken aback by his actions, especially his use of a pet-name to address her, telling her that he was truly lost and needed her help. She knelt beside him and rubbed his arched back comfortingly.

"It's ok, Ichigo," she whispered softly to him. "You'll get over this, I know it."

"Thanks, Rukia," he replied, his voice barely audible. "Tell me, what happened to the Vizards while I was without my powers?"

"They have been in contact with Soul Society," Rukia replied, then shook her head. "Actually, their reports ended about six months ago, and they have not surfaced since then... I'm sorry."

"It's alright, I'll have to do it without them."

Rukia looked at him with a pained look, his resolute eyes telling her that he meant everyone when he said 'them'.

"You don't have to go it alone," she offered hesitantly, unsure if he would be offended by her statement, but she had to voice that she was there for him. "You're friends will always be there for you; it's what they're for."

Ichigo looked into her sincere, glowing eyes and smiled softly, pulling her into a single-armed hug against his chest.

"Thanks, Rukia," he whispered into the long tresses of her raven locks, inhaling her scent and feeling somehow protected, as if their souls had encased one another like a shell, an armour against an unforgiving and painful world.

Neither noticed the being stood on the rooftop opposite the window of the bathroom, watching the entire scene unfold before vanishing with a shimmer of light.

* * *

><p><strong>Seireitei, Squad One Barracks<strong>

The large, powerful man looked up from his work which lay on his desk as a man dressed in full black, his face obscured by a head-scarf, appeared before him, kneeling on one knee and bowing low to the elder, Captain.

"What is there to report?" Yamamoto asked, his tone the same as always.

"I have just received word from our agent in Karakura who was sent to investigate Ichigo Kurosaki's situation," the member of the Stealth Force explained. "It appears that there has been another burst of hollow reiatsu from the boy before he reportedly threw a mirror across the room and shouted at it."

"I see," the Head-Captain nodded gravely. "It is worse than I had thought. Is there anything else?"

"Yes, sir. It appears that a Vasto Lorde approached Kurosaki the night before this incident, and it is believed that this hollow wanted to recruit him for the Court of Ickross."

"Very well," Yamamoto rose from his seat and walked to the balcony overlooking Soul Society. "You are dismissed." The man nodded slightly and disappeared in a shimmer, leaving the old man to evaluate the situation he had just heard of. "So, they are back... If they are after Kurosaki, that cannot be for good reasons."

His eyes opened as he gazed over Seireitei and its bustling centre; functioning and at peace since it was rebuilt a year ago. In truth, he feared this situation, as it would almost certainly bring about the end of the short-lived tranquillity. He raised a finger and summoned a Hell Butterfly, relaying a message to it.

"Go," he said, willing it up with a simple movement of his finger. "Deliver this to Renji Abarai and Byakuya Kuchiki at once."

* * *

><p><em>YES! I managed to do this over the span of ChristmasNew Years and my week of study leave, just for you guys, so I hope you like my first post of 2012!_

_Anyway, let me know what you think of this with a review; I'll be eternally grateful if you do :)_

_Oh, and I purposely left out the ranks in the Head-Captain's message; little surprise could be on it's way, boys and girls!_

_Anyway, I'm going to bed._

_Night!_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Brief: **Just over two years after he lost his Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo starts being able to sense spirits again, but what else will emerge as his powers start to re-emerge?_

_**Spoiler Warnings: **Post 423: Farewell Swords_

_**Note:** If you are looking for the continuation of my After the Winter War series, this is not it! **This is separate to my other works!**_

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki (of course), IshiHime, possible others include ByaHis._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Note: <strong>"Bold/Italic" - Ichigo's hollow talking_

"_Italic" - Zangetsu talking_

_Italic - thoughts_

* * *

><p><strong>Darkest Side of Me<strong>

**Chapter 9: Call of the Vizards**

Stooped over the bath, Ichigo swept the remaining larger fragments of the broken mirror into the dustpan and ran the water to clear any of the tiny slithers of glass or tile from the bath, just to make sure that no one cut themselves. Rukia had disappeared to the Urahara Shoten to see if the broken unit could be fixed or replaced with an exact duplicate so that Ichigo's family did not realise that anything had damaged it while they were away. He stopped the tap and let out a sigh of relief, his work finished.

"There, finally done," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, nothing to do. Guess I'll look at that novel Ochi-sensei said about."

He walked into his bedroom, letting out a yawn as he did, and went to his school bag to take out the novel. It was a slight shift in the air across his room, his window open with the curtains fluttering slightly, and the clear sky visible through the opening. None of these caught his attention, but what was sat on his bedspread, staring up at the ceiling, a foot or so from the wall. His eyes opened wider at the sight, pupils pin-pricks in the irises, as he stared at the object underneath his gaze.

Atop the blue bedspread was a white object with no real markings over it except for the moulded structure down the centre of it, giving the impression of twin sets of jaws. The empty eyes sockets and cloth-like strands from over the back which spread over the immediate area reminded Ichigo of a Pharaohs mask with the colour drained from it. There was no denying what it was. The young man rushed to his window in time to see a man stood in a grey coat in mid-air, a zanpakuto sheath in his left hand, before he vanished.

Ichigo looked down upon the mask and flipped it over, suspicious as to why the owner would discard it like this. Stuck on the back was a piece of paper with a mass of gibberish written on it. Infuriated by the nonsensical writing, Ichigo reared back to throw the mask out of the window, but his reflection stopped him; the writing became clear inside the crystalline grip of the glass pane. He tore the paper from the mask, the item cracking and turning to reshi as he did so, and read it in the mirror.

'Hello, Ichigo,' the message read. 'Can't talk in person, Soul Society is near. Go to the abandoned entrance to the Karakura Subway in fifteen minutes. Tell no one.'

_Hirako,_ was the one name which sprang to mind for the young Soul Reaper, knowing the Vizard's mask styling and capability to write backwards well enough. _So that's where they went._ Without wasting any time, for he knew that it would take ten minutes to get to the Subway entrance, Ichigo sprinted out of the house and towards the downtown sector of Karakura.

* * *

><p><strong>Urahara Shoten<strong>

"The Vizards, you say?" the blonde shop keeper questioned, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it, I used to get them coming by here quite often. Then they just up and disappeared last month."

"Last month?" Rukia asked, stunned. "You mean you were dealing with them for five months without telling anyone in Soul Society?"

"Kuchiki-san, if there is one thing I know, it's that exiles have to stick together," Urahara said solemnly. "Hirako-san was very specific that he did not want their dealings to be leaked to Soul Society from fear of them intervening as they always have a habit to. I must confess, it my not have been the best idea, but I thought it reasonable at the time."

"What were they getting from you, Urahara-san?" Rukia's interest had been piqued by this strange behaviour; she knew little about the Vizards, only what Ichigo had told her between battles, but she knew they were a shadowy group, and this only furthered her interest in the topic.

"That's another strange thing," Urahara said behind his fan. "I'm afraid I cannot tell you."

"I think customer privacy became out of the question a long time ago-"

"No, no, you've misunderstood my words, Lieutenant," Urahara interrupted her. "It is not because of something as petty as that, but rather that I do not know. Around the time that they stopped coming, my memory became hazy. I have tried for many weeks to re-establish the lost memories, but it has proved fruitless thus far; whatever it is they were buying, there have been no traces of it anywhere; no memories of it, no shipments missing or stolen goods, not even a sign that they were here apart from what I do remember. Gomenosai."

"What on earth could they have been buying?" Rukia wondered aloud, face screwed up in a mask of concentration. "And how did they cover their actions?"

"Boss, I-" Tessai started, walking in through a doorway behind the shop-keeper. Upon realising he was interrupting something, the large man bowed. "I apologise for my brashness, boss."

"It's fine, Tessai-san," Rukia replied, standing. "I was leaving now anyway. Thank you again for accepting my request, Tessai-san, Urahara-san."

"It's no trouble at all, Kuchiki-san!" Urahara said, upbeat again. "Please come again soon!" As soon as the raven-haired Lieutenant had left, Urahara turned to Tessai, eyes hard and his joyful aura dissipated. "What's wrong, Tessai?"

"Boss, I have just established what it is that the Vizards bought," Tessai replied. "And why they are so keen to hide it."

He placed an open book before Urahara, whose eyes ran over the book a few times then widened in shock.

"Oh my," he said grimly. "That is not good at all. Are you certain that this is it?" Tessai nodded, causing Urahara to sigh and run a hand through his sandy locks. "If they are making such a device, then it cannot be good for us... Especially Ichigo-san."

* * *

><p><strong>Downtown Karakura<strong>

The crumpled concrete of the old subway entrance stood barren in the darkness under the train tracks. It had once been the best way to travel from one side of town to the other, until something happened several years ago which caused it to explode and collapse. Some people say that it was a terrorist attack gone wrong, others that it was a broken gas pipe which had been ignited by a faulty wire. The truth was neither of these, and much simpler; a Soul Reaper had killed a powerful hollow there after it had caused so much destruction in the area.

Ichigo stood within the entrance, listening to the dripping of rain water which fell inside, collecting in stagnant pools amongst the rubble and giving the area a raw stench to it. Much like the last hideout the Vizards had used, it was on the verge of collapsing fully and people often steered clear of it without so much as a passing glance. The Substitute walked inside further, the sound of rodents clawing up the walls dominant in the pitch black of the broken underground. Soon he found it; a doorway with a cracked frame and a broken door hanging limply by the top hinge. He noticed the Vizards' insignia scratched into the frame, showing that he was indeed at the right place.

"You sure are prompt, Ichigo," came a voice through the doorway as Ichigo entered. "What's the rush?"

"I always make it a point to find out why someone appeared from nowhere then vanished," Ichigo said plainly. "Especially when they throw a mask at me."

"I can see that you are taking your new powers well," Shinji said, stepping out of the shadows and into the light which beamed through a crack in the roof. "Else your reiatsu would be pitifully low. Are you here to join us again?"

"Bite me," Ichigo growled. "You're the one who summoned me, baka. Now, explain to me what it is that you wanted with me."

"Huh, I see you haven't changed at all," the Vizard grinned. "You're the same arrogant punk as the first time we met. I thought you would have understood that I am here to recruit you. As a fellow Vizard, you should be with us."

"I've already told you that I'm not going to do that," Ichigo's tone was low. "I have no interest in joining your damned 'masked army'. I am a human and a Substitute Soul Reaper, and I won't let you change my mind."

"Be that as it may, Ichigo, you seem to be missing the point," Shinji lowered his voice, the other Vizards appearing faintly behind him. "We want you to join us not because we like you. If anything, it's because of you hollow that we are doing this. You see, each of us is powerful, with our hollows augmenting this power further, and your strength startles us all. Your power destroyed Aizen without using hollowfication, which is quite the feat in itself. However, when we consider this fact and the fact that you have a hollow side, we have concluded that your hollow will have a rare amount of power; the kind that Vasto Lordes dream of."

"What are you saying?" Ichigo asked, but Shinji ignored him.

"Hachi, do it now," he said plainly.

A burst of white light pulsed downwards across the back wall and the room was illuminated in a bright aura of energy. At the same time as it became light, Ichigo shielded his eyes, noticing four metal pillars erupting from the ground as he did so. A buzzing began to sound and resonate through his eardrums, followed by a distinct hissing and crackling. His eyes adjusted and he gazed at the sight around him with wide, shocked eyes. The stone floor had a series of eight small pyramids of dull grey metal, each tipped with a rod about one and a half feet tall, surrounding him in a circle. Atop these rods was a ball of purple light, each connected to the next in sequence by an arc of crackling electrical reshi. He had barely taken this in when the orbs burst into a dome of dark reshi around him, the hemisphere crackling and shaking as it solidified.

"Vizard Precipice established," Hachi announced, emerging with his mask on, so Ichigo could not see his face, but his tone told the young man that he was apologetic about the situation.

"Good," Shinji nodded, turning to Ichigo again. "This is the Vizard Precipice, a Kido which took Hachi forty-five years to complete and perfect. It is designed to extract the power of the occupant's hollow and disperse it amongst us. It's a way for us to eliminate the chances of a powerful hollow rampaging in the World of the Living." Shinji placed his hand on the nearest pillar, the metal glowing a bright blue-white. "This will hurt, but it is for the best, Ichigo."

The orange-haired man was surprised by this, but smiled and nodded. _Maybe this will get rid of that damned hollow once and for all._

"Hurry up and do it then," Ichigo said, ejecting from his body as the Vizards each took up positions at a pillar. Shinji grinned at the man's determination.

As the last hand fell upon the eighth pillar, eight beams of orange-yellow energy shot out of the ring and into Ichigo's torso. He grunted as the tethers plunged into his being, tracing his reiatsu and power back into his core until it found the source of the darkness within him. The tethers grew taut and he spluttered in pain as a white substance began to seep from his wounds. As each tether reappeared, it drew out the same white liquid, stretching between Ichigo's body and the pillars. Blood started to leak in tear drops from the openings, the centre of the white material holding firm and refusing to be drawn out without a fight.

_Time to die, you bastard!_ Ichigo thought, coughing a spray of crimson into the air. His body was in pain, and he was certain his very soul was being torn to pieces, but the gain was worth the pain, so he bit down his roars and focussed on holding together.

And then it happened; a snap inside him, yet nothing moved. His eyes blurred, and he could make out Shinji staring in disbelief at him, the Vizard's shocked face all he could see before it all went black. Outside of the dome, the Vizards could see the events unfold; the golden irises, the blackened sclera, the white flecks spreading over his face and the red staining some areas. Ichigo's shoulders convulsed sporadically as a shaky, insane laugh began to leak from his lips with a twisted grin aimed at Shinji. The cold, cruel eyes locked upon Shinji as the tethers began to sputter and spark, fraying away as it went on.

"_**You made one hell of a mistake,**_" the creature laughed, drawing Zangetsu and striking at the tethers and shattering the Kido as it it were glass against a brick. "_**I'm not like any shitty hollow like the ones in you! I am much more than that!**_" The white slid inside the openings once again as the final tether splintered. "_**You didn't even notice it, did you? You weren't drawing my power out, you were giving yours to me! I'm stronger than ever before, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!**_" The masked creature raised his sword high, a deep black and red reiatsu swirling around it in a fierce whirlwind of shadow and defiance. "_**Getsuga Tenshou!**_"

* * *

><p><strong>Kurosaki House<strong>

"Ichigo, I'm back!" Rukia called out, walking into the hallway for the small house, noticing the eerie quiet. _Must be in his room,_ she thought logically. _Probably can't hear me with his headphones in._ She opened the door, barging in roughly. "Oi, baka! I'm talking to you! Don't you dare-" She stopped, looking around in surprise; there was no sign of him. "Ichigo?"

Not a sound graced her ears, making her sigh dejectedly and flop onto the bed. Something scrunched beneath her. Pulling it out, she read the note, her eyes able to decipher the use of backwards letters easily enough. As she looked up, confused, a huge explosion erupted behind her from outside. The blast was massive, and she felt the house shake, so turned to see where it had come from.

Smoke billowed from far off and a pillar of fire wreathed rubble scattered over the sky, yet the epicentre was nowhere near the house, confirming to her how powerful the shockwave was. A second blast of air washed over her, the winds laced with hollow reiatsu and Ichigo's mixed in too. The strains were close, so much so that she could not tell them apart.

Rukia's lavender orbs shot open in shock, realising that the reiatsus were not of a hollow and Ichigo but from the man alone.

_No, not now,_ she thought, hurriedly removing her Gigai and rushing towards the destruction. _Please, Ichigo, don't let that have happened!_

* * *

><p><em>I apologise for the delay, but I had homework and exams to deal with, so please cut me some slack.<em>

_Hope that's climactic for you guys; has he lost control or not? I'll let that slip next time, but no sooner._

_Anyway, please review and let me know what you thought of this; I love your feedbacks; so insightful and helpful to me, it's unbelievable,so thank you all if you have reviewed already!_

_Sorry, rambling on. I'll stop now._

_'Night everyone!_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Brief: **Just over two years after he lost his Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo starts being able to sense spirits again, but what else will emerge as his powers start to re-emerge?_

_**Spoiler Warnings: **Post 423: Farewell Swords_

_**Note:** If you are looking for the continuation of my After the Winter War series, this is not it! **This is separate to my other works!**_

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki (of course), IshiHime, possible others include ByaHis._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Note: <strong>"Bold/Italic" - Ichigo's hollow talking_

"_Italic" - Zangetsu talking_

_Italic – thoughts_

* * *

><p><strong>Darkest Side of Me<strong>

**Chapter 10: Hollow Frenzy**

A beam of crimson burst over the downtown, doing nothing for brief moments before the area traced by the arc exploded with a great deal of force. The fires which the Cero called forth cast the dark silhouettes of the Vizards as they crossed blades with a malevolent being, the horned beast shooting barrage after barrage of Ceros at the masked army as they tried to contain it.

"Dammit, Hachi!" Shinji yelled. "How are we supposed to stop this guy when he can do that so freely?"

"If we release our zanpakuto, we may stand a chance, but it would mean revealing our position to Soul Society," Lisa pointed out.

"The only other way is for us to hollowfy and fight him like that," Kensai sighed. "Then again, a high amount of hollowfied reiatsu in one area would also raise questions in Soul Society."

"I'm afraid we may have no other choice," Hachi responded solemnly. "If we do not stop this rampage, there may not be any chance to save Karakura Town from being destroyed. If that happens, Soul Society will certainly get involved in the inquisition."

"Fine, if that's how it has to be," Shinji held a hand to the corner of his head in preparation for what was to come. "Vizards, hollowfy."

Each Vizard donned their mask dutifully, the intense reiatsu they created sending a pulse throughout the small town. Nearby, Rukia shielded her face from the blast, recognising the reiatsus as those of the Vizards by the hollow and Soul Reaper aspects in them, and sped up as she closed in on the now thoroughly destroyed area. The air was hot with towering infernos and billows of acrid black smoke, and thick with the many powerful reiatsus present. She entered the wrecked subway forefront, zanpakuto drawn defensively, her eyes stinging from the scorching air and the dense fumes in it. The sheer magnitude of the destruction was a sight to behold, and it took her a few moments to register that someone was heading her way at high speed until the masked man locked blades with her. He growled behind the white Pharaoh-like mask, pushing down on the sword to force her away.

"What the hell do you want, Soul Reaper?" he asked, and Rukia recognised the voice and mask as the man who had saved herself and Ichigo from Grimmjow the second time he had appeared in the World of the Living.

"Hirako, I don't want to fight you," Rukia replied, pushing him away, but the man attacked again. "My name is Rukia Kuchiki, I am Ichigo's friend!"

"Ichigo's friend?" The hollowfied eyes widened in realisation. Shinji backed off, though his sword was not sheathed. "I remember you now. Why are you here?"

"I'm here to help Ichigo," she replied firmly. "What happened?"

"He went out of control," Shinji sighed. "We were trying to help him by tearing that hollow of his apart and making sure he doesn't have to deal with it, but something went wrong."

"You underestimated it's power, didn't you?" Shinji's silence was enough of an answer for the raven-haired Soul Reaper. "Where's Ichigo?"

A Cero tore through the air, cleaving through the building beside them and causing the tower to crumble down on the space where they had been moments before. From her position above the scene, Rukia's amethyst irises fell anxiously upon Ichigo's possessed body. He stood in mid-air, his uniform torn to shreds and revealing his state of transformation. The mask of the creature from Los Noches had formed over the left side of his face, but both horns had sprouted from his head, allowing the devastatingly powerful blasts of Cero to be fired at full strength without any issue. His exposed face was a mask of it's own; a twisted look of insanity and maniacal desire to destroy evident over the right-side of his mouth and his right eye. In his right hand rested the Shikai of Zangetsu, the power of his hollow reiatsu obvious by the snaking serpent of black and red which laced the blade and oozed lazily off at will, the frayed edges of the tail showing the lack of control in the reiatsu all too clearly. More than that, however, was that his right arm in its entirety was coated in chalky hollow armoured skin of the hollows, including a set of short spikes on the back of the shoulder, including over his shoulder blade. Thankfully to the Soul Reaper, there was no sign of a hollow hole in his chest, which implied that he was not too far gone that he could not be brought back.

"Ichigo!" she shouted, the demon turning to face her, the evil grin never dwindling on his features. "Please, stop this! You're destroying Karakura!"

"_**Pah, as if I don't know that!**_" the hollow shouted back. "_**I'll tear this pitiful place apart, and then I'll do the same to Seireitei, and there's nothing you can do to stop me, princess!**_"

"Urusai, hollow!" Rukia retorted. "There may be nothing I can do, but Ichigo can and will stop you from destroying his home town!"

Before she could do anything to stop it, the hollow lunged forwards with impossible speed and grabbed Rukia roughly by the throat. Thrust firmly against the concrete wall of a tall, broken tower, Rukia choked a little, gripping the left hand of the hollow to stop herself from being strangled by the forceful grip on her fragile neck, her zanpakuto no longer in her hands, much to her dismay; the comfort of her weapon would have been much use to her in such a time.

"Damn you," she coughed out. "Let me go!"

"_**No, I don't think I will,**_" the hollow growled. "_**In fact, I think I'll keep you like this a little longer, just to toy with ya.**_"

Lisa appeared behind the hollow, swinging her sword in towards the hollow, but a lazy swing of Zangetsu sent her hurtling into the ground again. The other Vizards attempted to strike at the same time, but another blast of reiatsu in the form of a Kuroi Getsuga and another powerful Cero sent the small group plummeting to the earth once more. The hollow grinned darkly at Rukia, its exposed eye showing a dark, coy look about it.

"_**You are a really interesting being,**_" it mused, opening its jaws and running its tongue over Rukia's neck and jawline, much to her disgust. "_**I don't know what it is about you, girl, but I see why the King likes you now. Even your taste is peculiar... I'm gonna enjoy devouring you, I can guarantee that.**_"

The huge cleaver was drawn back, the point aimed precisely at Rukia's exposed throat. The reiatsu around the over-sized zanpakuto intensified, creating a great static buil-up in the air and making it hard for the petite Soul Reaper to draw in her final breaths. Her breathing shallowed as she stared at the menacing eyes of what had once been her close friend, who had drawn back the massive combat-knife-styled weapon to strike in full force, and her heart stung with sadness that he had circummed to the hollow without even a sign of a struggle against his darker will.

The right arm lunged forward slightly, then tensed up, locking in place. Shock washed over the man's disfigured face as he tried to attack, but his arm refused.

"_**Dammit, King,**_" the hollow barked. "_**Let go!**_"

"Go away!" Ichigo's voice came out of his mouth as he fought back. "This is my body! Give it back!"

"_**No!**_" the hollow protested, letting go of Rukia as the left hand found the fractured edge of the half-formed mask. "_**Stop interfering with my business!**_"

"It's my business if you intend to use my body, you dirty bastard!" Ichigo growled. "Now get the hell out of my body!"

"_**Make me!**_"

"He's fighting it..." Rukia mused, stunned by the display, before regaining her courage. "Fight it, Ichigo! You can't let it destroy Karakura!"

"I won't let you," Ichigo struggled, the manically and valiantly struggling hollowfied form thrashing violently as he pulled away at the mask, which had started to crack under the strain. "Use my body like this! I will... I will beat you, hollow!"

Finally, with a burst of reiatsu dispelling from the zanpakuto in the right hand and the sound of ceramics shattering to accentuate the outcome, the mask yielded and snapped in Ichigo's grip, the ruined white armour splintering with the consciousness of the hollow severed from the outside of the body. The man coughed and spluttered as the acrid smoke of his hollow's destructive rampage filled his lung, and his eyes burnt as his sightless eyes took in the chaos he had technically caused. However, the outbreak had taken its toll on the young man, and his reiatsu had been heavily depleted by the repetitive usage of Ceros and Kuroi Getsugas, both of which factored into his exhaustion. Unable to keep himself upright because of this tiredness, Ichigo took one step forward to balance himself, only for his foot to find nothing and for his body to start its head-long plummet towards the scorched earth. Rukia appeared close-by before he could fall far, shouldering the taller Soul Reaper and carefully bringing him down to the ground. Once they touched down, the seven of the Vizards appeared around them, each, except for Hachi, pointing their sealed zanpakutos at Rukia, their masks removed. The raven-haired Soul Reaper held her breath and waited, unarmed and holding an injured Ichigo, and thereby left defenceless.

"Stand down, everyone," Shinji said, appearing behind Hiyori.

"What are you talking about, you dumbass?" she asked, her tone cold. "We should kill him now before he goes crazy again."

"You're an idiot, Hiyori," the blonde man replied. "Don't you hear the sirens? It's more important we get out of here before someone sees us." The man walked up to Rukia, a sheathed zanpakuto in his left hand and another in his right, this one without a scabbard. "You dropped this," he said, sheathing it for her. "And I suggest you get him home before someone sees him in that sorry state."

Rukia nodded, giving a hasty thank you to Shinji, before forcing Ichigo back into his body and carrying him via Shunpo towards the empty Kurosaki residence. Kensai looked at Shinji with an unconcerned look.

"Are you sure that was wise?" he asked the man, who did not meet his gaze.

"Who cares? It's not like we had much choice," Shinji replied, shouldering his sheathed weapon. "Anyway, let's get out of here before Soul Society catches on to our location, and before we get called in for questioning on account of arson."

The group conceded and vanished rapidly, unaware of the man stood overhead in pitch black robes. Under his clothe mask, he gaped at the carnage he had just witnessed, but he quickly regained his composure.

"I must report this to the Head-Captain immediately," he said to himself, disappearing into the Senkaimon and vanishing without any trace of his presence ever being there.

* * *

><p><strong>Squad One Barracks<strong>

The two Soul Reapers walked quickly towards the huge doors of the Head-Captain's office. The red-haired man turned to his ex-Captain, never once slowing down as he did so, the noble not meeting his gaze or even acknowledging the man's presence as he walked alongside him.

"Do you know what this is about, Captain Kuchiki?" Renji asked. Byakuya's steely gaze did not move to the speaker even once as he responded.

"I do not, Captain Abarai," he said monotonously. "However, we are almost at the Head-Captain's office, and I imagine that he will debrief us upon our arrival."

The newer Captain nodded before they opened the doors and entered the large office. From the gantry overlooking the buildings of Seireitei, the Head-Captain had sensed their arrival, and, though he did not turn around, he began speaking to the two Captain's.

"Thank you for coming so quickly, Captains," he announced gruffly. "The nature of this situation is very serious, and I must apologise that I must ask this of you. However, due to your relationship with the Substitute Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki, the two of you were the best candidates for this mission."

"And what mission would that be, sir?" Renji asked carefully, not wanting to enrage the Head-Captain so soon.

"The mission in question is one which will be put into use should the information I have been given be proven correct," Yamamoto said. "I am afraid that Ichigo Kurosaki has been affected by his hollow as he has in previous years prior to his loss of his powers." Renji's eyes widened, though Byakuya remained stoic. "As shocking as it may be, I'm afraid that if his hollow has truly gone out of control, he must be subdued. I trust you understand what your orders will be should this happen."

Before anything more could be said, the heavy doors burst open again as a member of the Stealth Force appeared over the threshold. He panted, falling to his knees immediately, bowing low and apologetically.

"Please forgive my intrusion, sirs, but I bring dire news from the World of the Living," he said clearly and coherently, despite his bedraggled look. Yamamoto turned to face the man, his reiatsu having an indignant edge for such an interruption.

"You had best have a good reason for barging into the Head-Captain's office uninvited and unannounced," he said, the man on the floor cringing slightly over the irritated tone of voice the old man used. "What is this news you speak of?"

"It is regarding both the Substitute Soul Reaper and the influx of hollow activity noted in Karakura recently, sir," the man stood and unclipped a small box-like device which had a wire plugged into it, holding it out to the Head-Captain. "I'm afraid that my attempts to relay the incident would be futile, but I managed to record the incident from a safe distance. It is all on this, sir."

The old man took the black box and set it up on his desk, the built-in lens aimed carefully at the space where no one stood. Pressing the relay button, the four occupants of the room could clearly see the holographic images of Ichigo undergoing a partial hollowfication, an intense amount of smoke and crimson flames and the images of hollowfied Vizards attacking the creature, only to be knocked back by either Ceros, Kuroi Getsugas or sheer brute force. The sight was horrific, and Renji, through his terrified stare and gripping anxiety, could relate it to a very impressive horror film which he had once seen in the World of the Living. Byakuya's eyes widened a fraction of an inch; it was barely noticeable, but they definitely opened more than they had moments before; and even Yamamoto's ordinarily closed-looking eyes shot open at these images. As the projector dimmed, the final image was one of Ichigo's hollow roaring, the golden irises and blackened sclera glaring directly at them, which faded to black before vanishing.

Silence filled the room except for the chirp of birds as they flew passed, blissfully ignorant of what had happened and what was likely to come. Finally, after the thick silence had gone on for a few minutes, Yamamoto spoke up again.

"Very well," he said, slightly shaken and disappointed in this outcome. "In light of this turn of events, I have no choice but to issue the command that Ichigo Kurosaki, the Substitute Soul Reaper of Rukia Kuchiki, be placed under containment under any means to prevent an outbreak of a Class Zero hollow in the World of the Living. I also authorise the use of deadly force in the event that he undergoes a full transformation, and so is unlikely to return to his usual self. This is a highest priority order, and may only be revoked if there is substantial evidence that he is no longer a threat." The elderly Soul Reaper slammed the heavy, gnarled cane into the ground, the resounding thud causing a shudder over the room and ensuring that all present knew that the order was final. He looked at the two Captains with a pained look. "I am sorry, Captain Abarai, Captain Kuchiki. I am aware that this must be difficult for you both, but it has to be done for the good of the World of the Living and Soul Society." He turned to the Stealth Force member, who cowered on the floor even then. "What is the condition of the passage through the Dongai?"

"I- Its currently unstable for travelling, even for those of Captain-level reiatsu, due to the influx of hollow reiatsu dispersed in the area," he replied with a stutter. "Squad Twelve is currently working to stabilise it, but the projected time for safe transit is currently thirty-six hours."

"I see," Yamamoto again turned his gaze upon the two Captains stood in his office. "As soon as the Dongai is safe to cross, you are to go to Karakura Town and warn Ichigo Kurosaki of what has been ordered. Also, inform Ms Kuchiki that she is to report back to Soul Society immediately, and that her assignment has been revoked effective immediately. Now, you are dismissed."

* * *

><p><strong>Kurosaki Residence<strong>

Ichigo's weary eyes cracked open, the blurred focus of his amber pools drawing in the image of his bedroom ceiling with a black-haired blob on the edge of his vision. As they adjusted, his eyes became accustomed to the sight of Rukia's worried amethyst irises and her raven locks which tumbled down onto his jaw and cheekbones from where she was leant over him, inspecting him anxiously for signs of life.

"Ru... Rukia?" he mumbled groggily, seeing her eyes light up with a spark of relief.

"Ichigo," she sighed, hugging him. For a while, it seemed nice for the pair, but soon the young man felt a searing pain in his skull. "You damned foolish baka! What the hell were you doing out there? You could have destroyed Karakura!"

"Like I knew that would happen!" he protested, rubbing his head with one hand. "It's the fucking Vizards; their stupid Kido is what started all that!"

"_You're_ the one who should have been more cautious with them!" Rukia shouted. "I told you that they had disappeared!" She roared in frustration. "Does anything I ever tell you go into that thick damned head of yours?"

"You're one to talk!" Ichigo snorted back. "I kept telling you I owed you and you would never pay attention to a word _I _said, dammit!"

"This isn't about the past, Ichigo! This is about destroying your home town and raising awareness of your problem to Soul Society, baka!"

"I wasn't gonna..." Ichigo's voice froze in his throat. "Why do you keep saying I _could have_ destroyed Karakura?"

Rukia pitied her Substitute in that minute; his hollow had taken him into hell, caused so much destruction in his body, used his zanpakuto in an attempt to kill her; and now he was having to hear about it from her after he had come round from a bout of unconsciousness brought on by a depleted reiatsu supply.

"When I got there," she said cautiously, her tone low and remorseful as she told him of what happened. "the downtown area of Karakura near the subway was in flames... It wasn't very populated, but there was a great deal of destruction around the subway." Ichigo's head fell into his hands at this news, his back pressed up against the head board of the double bed as Rukia continued. "The Vizards tried to subdue you with their masks, but your hollow was too strong; they would have had to put more people in danger by releasing their Shikais if they were to repulse it."

"How bad is the destruction?" he asked.

"The ground is still burnt, the building sites and industrial estate in the immediate area are still being checked out, but the sirens stopped about twenty minutes ago, so the fires and rescue teams have stopped coming and going in quite so large numbers." Rukia put her arm around his shoulders as he ran his hands over his face. "I'm sorry, Ichigo."

"I did all of that?" he questioned mournfully. "I don't believe it; I went against everything I believe in, against everything I wanted to protect; I practically tore the downtown to shreds in the space of fifteen minutes and I threatened my friend at Shikai-point..."

"Don't blame yourself," Rukia scolded lightly. "You aren't to blame for this; that hollow of yours is. What matters isn't the damage caused, but that you stood against it and tried to do something about it."

"No..." Ichigo muttered, his hollow plaguing him once again.

"_**You're completely useless, King,**_" it sneered. "**_As soon as your power reaches mine, I'll take your body for good, and this will seem like a sweet dream._**"

"Ichigo?"

"Shut up, you bastard!"

"_**Oh, struck a nerve, have I? Good!**_"

"You can't do this."

"_**Watch me, you pathetic excuse for a Soul Reaper!**_"

"Ichigo, what's wrong?"

"Get the hell away from me!"

"_**Temper temper, King. Pah, you really are pathetic. As soon as I'm out, I'll be sure to devour your little bitch's soul, you can be sure of that.**_"

"No! Don't you dare!"

"_**Why not? It's not like you're gonna make a move on her. And I have to say... she tastes... devine!**_"

"Ichigo!"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Silence fell over the house with a sudden 'crack' and a yell of pain.

* * *

><p><em>Little disorientating at the end? If so, I succeeded with my bid.<em>

_Hopefully this will be a good cliff-hanger, 'cause I'd hate to disappoint you guys and girls out there._

_As I said on my last updated story, I apologise for the lack of posting, but I was in Romania last week, and so could not actually write, much to my dismay._

_Anyway, usual conditions; please review with any improvements, compliments or criticisms, and I appreciate any insightful comments of any nature, so please don't hesitate!_

_For now, goodbye and goodnight everyone!_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Brief: **Just over two years after he lost his Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo starts being able to sense spirits again, but what else will emerge as his powers start to re-emerge?_

_**Spoiler Warnings: **Post 423: Farewell Swords_

_**Note:** If you are looking for the continuation of my After the Winter War series, this is not it! **This is separate to my other works!**_

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki (of course), IshiHime, possible others include ByaHis._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Note: <strong>"Bold/Italic" - Ichigo's hollow talking_

"_Italic" - any Zanpakuto talking_

_Italic – thoughts_

* * *

><p><strong>Darkest Side of Me<strong>

**Chapter 11: Breaking Point**

It had all happened so quickly that nothing had made sense to the petite raven-haired girl by any token; the abrupt shouting of her Substitute, who had doubled over while gripping his head as if in great pain, the internal argument raging on with fierce aggression; little of all of this had she been expecting the sudden stinging sensation across her cheek, the searing pain combined with the image of Ichigo sat on the bed with his right hand raised over his left shoulder, his eyes wide with a look of great shock, and from there she could piece together what had happened, her hand holding her aching cheek. Quickly, she moved off of the bed and backed away from the boy, who raised his hand to her.

"Wait, Rukia," he started, taking her free hand, but she swiftly shook him off of her, swatting at the hand as if it were a fly buzzing around her ear.

"Don't you dare touch me," she spat. "You are nothing more than a lowly human; how dare you strike a Soul Reaper?" Her words stung the young man, reminding him of her harsh tone when Renji and Byakuya had taken her back to Soul Society. Ichigo raised his hand to Rukia again, but making no attempt to grab her.

"Please, Rukia, you don't understand," he tried, pleading to her. "I never meant for this to happen, I-" The roar of a hollow echoed over the house, cutting him off as Rukia removed her Gigai and swiftly passed Ichigo before he could react in the slightest.

"I'll deal with it," she said coldly, not turning to him at all. With that, she vanished. Ichigo contemplated chasing her, but decided against it; in a mood like she was at that moment, Rukia was notorious for evading his attempts to talk with her so long as her 'Kuchiki mask', as he privately referred to it, was up. He sighed dejectedly.

"I suppose it's best to let her cool off," he noted aloud. "I'll explain to her when she gets back."

"_**You sure that's advisable, King?**_" the hollow spat in his head. "_**After all, you really think she'll listen to ya?**_"

_Shut up, you bastard! _Ichigo growled. _This is all your fault; you're the reason that I lashed out at Rukia!_

Abruptly, a fresh reiatsu poured over the Kurosaki residence, the young orange-haired young man recognising it immediately. He removed himself from his body and headed out of the window, charging swiftly towards the source of the dense reiatsu, not noticing the pulse of reiatsu as a Senkaimon slid open not too far off.

* * *

><p><strong>Above Downtown Karakura<strong>

Rukia's katana blade came arcing downward and through the hollow's mask as if it were an over-sized piece of ice cream in the sun. As the beast vanished into black reshi and then into nothingness, Rukia sheathed her zanpakuto and looked at the destroyed, badly burnt section of Karakura beneath her feet. The rescue services had been finished putting out fires and searching for those injured or killed in the destruction which Ichigo's hollow had unleashed. The cover story, according to the news, was an old gas main in the abandoned subway had sprung a leak and a faulty wire had created a spark which had sent it up, and it seemed that no one really had been hurt or killed due to the vast majority of the area being abandoned by the public. Thinking about the destruction reminded Rukia of the outburst in the room she shared with Ichigo, her left hand rubbing her sore cheek reminiscently.

_That idiot,_ she thought, venom lacing her thoughts; Byakuya had taught her that anything such as that was an insult which a member of the Kuchiki family should not tolerate in any instance. _Who does he think he is, lashing out at someone trying to help him?_

"_Don't be so hard on the boy,_" her zanpakuto said softly in her head. "_It was not you he had been shouting at before he hit you, nor was he even attempting to attack you, Rukia. I am surrised you did not sense it; that stagnant reiatsu he was emitting should have made it obvious to you what was happening._"

Her zanpakuto's words made Rukia realise that she had noticed a slight darkness in the room; the same sort which he used to give off with his mask on. Instantly, the Lieutenant felt ashamed of herself for not letting him explain what had happened. Despite Byakuya's teachings about insult to one's name and how to react in any such instance, he had also stated that as a Soul Reaper one had to be just and give each individual a fair chance to prove their innocence. She sighed.

_I guess I owe him an apology,_ Rukia thought, knowing that, although she could not see her, Sode no Shirayuki was nodding in agreement. _I'll make sure to do something nice for him; maybe I could cook that curry Yuzu taught me to make last time I was here..._

The sensation of Ichigo's reiatsu had disappeared into a field of interference, making her frown a little, but the small-bodied Soul Reaper chalked it up to a hollow with heightened abilities messing with her capability to perceive reiatsu. However, despite the unusual situation, Rukia had confidence that Ichigo could deal with the hollow without much trouble, even if he was plagued with the difficulty of his inner hollow almost running amok in Karakura, in the very place above which she currently stood, no less. Suddenly, another pair of reiatsus washed over her, and this seemed to be a less pressing situation all of a sudden.

"Yo, Rukia," a familiar, deep voice said from behind her. The usual light tone in the voice replaced by an alien seriousness. Turning to face the persons, Rukia laid eyes on a stone-faced Renji in the Haori of the Third Squad stood in mid-air, with the ever-stoic Byakuya slightly behind and to the left of him, his usual seriousness seemingly touched with an undertone of sadness. "It's good to see you again."

"Renji, Nii-sama," she questioned, cautious. "What brings you to Karakura Town? Are you on leave?"

"Rukia," Byakuya's single uttered word cutting any chance of such a possibility to ribbons and dashing Rukia's hopes that it was nothing more than a coincedence. "We have orders from Head-Captain Yamamoto to return you to Soul Society. He has also ordered that you cease any and all contact with the Substitute Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki, effective immediately."

"On what grounds?" Rukia asked, her tone offering no hatred or obvious anger. Renji's eyes wandered to the ground below them, expression distraught that it had to be like this.

"The ones below," he said, before Byakuya elaborated.

"Kurosaki is currently being viewed," Byakuya went on. "As a highly destructive and potentially dangerous entity, on the grounds of his lack of control over his inner hollow, which, as has been brought to the Head-Captain's attention, is growing in power at a rapid rate and threatening the safety of those in both Soul Society and the World of the Living, as well as the immense destruction caused in such a short time in the area of Karakura Town. This order may not be revoked under any jurisdiction other than the Head-Captain's with the backing of at least eight other Captains, which would require at least a week's notification prior to the vote. There is nothing which we can do until then."

"Sorry, Rukia, but this has to be done; if it's any consolation, I'm not happy with this either," Renji said regretfully. "But orders are orders, and this came from the Head-Captain himself; there's no way we can disobey an order like this."

"Come with us, Rukia, or we will have to take you by force," Byakuya said coldly, though he seemed to be saddened by this order. Reluctantly, the girl nodded. "We shall stop at Kisuke Urahara's shop to cut off the order you placed when you first came here, and then we shall leave through the pre-established Senkaimon there. Let us go."

* * *

><p><strong>Upper Karakura<strong>

Ichigo stopped before the figure of Tieran Alrask, the Vasto Lorde smiling with his zanpakuto drawn. The weapon, now that Ichigo could see it clearly, was a long sword, similar in design to a katana but with a longer and much thicker blade. The hilt was a satin black, hiding the full-length, solid tang. The blade also, Ichigo noted, had no cross-guard at all, the blade arching outwards on either side of the grip without anything in between, and had no tip either. At first, it seemed as if it had been worn away, but there was no deterioration to the metal, meaning it had been forged without one at all, making it an unusual and almost unique weapon.

"Hello again, Kurosaki," he said smoothly. "That offer is still open; you know, about your troubles with your hollow?"

"My answer is still no," he retorted sharply, drawing Zangetsu and releasing his Shikai swiftly. "Why are you here, Alrask? Surely you didn't believe I would change my mind?"

"Of course not, you impudent child," Tieran replied with a scoff. "However, the High Elder has grown tired of your inability to choose the right option. I have been sent to get this response from you, by any means necessary." He raised his blade and charged forwards, the katana slamming into Ichigo's zanpakuto with a huge pent-up force, the sword-lock breaking quickly with the defensive being forced away swiftly through the air. "Come now, Kurosaki, show me your power!"

_Dammit, he's tough,_ Ichigo thought reluctantly, releasing a charged Getsuga Tenshou at the opponent. _If he releases his sword, Shikai won't be enough... Can I still use Bankai? And even if I can, will I be able to sustain it for long enough that I can force him to retreat?_

"_You may not have a choice, Ichigo,_" Zangetsu said as the combatants traded blows again, Ichigo holding his own this time, though with a fair amount of difficulty. "_If you try and fail, that is all that can be done, but if you succeed, the reward will be great. Remember that cowardice will guarantee defeat._"

_I know that, Zangetsu. Thanks._

Tieran thrust his weapon forward and jabbed with the blunt end, the blade laced with dense reiatsu and making the strikes all the more deadly, even without the incredible speed of the thrusts. Ichigo dodged the first few, but a lucky shot caught him in the stomach, making him double over and leaving him with his guard down. The hollow arced his zanpakuto downwards for Ichigo's head, but the young man barely raised his zanpakuto to intercept in time before it came crashing down. Abruptly, he swung a kick into Ichigo's stomach, sending him up higher before he regained his composure and took up his position again. Tieran grinned.

"I'll be honest, I expected a better fight than that, but you're not bad, kid," he said. "Nevertheless, I have a mission to carry out, and I do not have time to spend on this pathetic excuse of a fight." He raised the sword vertically, his left hand held with the ring and little finger curled into the palm while the middle and index both pointed upward with the thumb, a red glow emanating over the blade. "Consume your pray and blot out the light,-"

Ichigo reacted quickly and instinctively, releasing a quick duo of Getsugas to the hollow, forcing him to stop his release incantation to intercept, and then taking up his power stance, thrusting Zangetsu forward, left hand gripping low on his right upper-arm, and channelling all his reiatsu into the sword.

"Bankai!" he shouted forcefully, his reiatsu spiralling fiercely around him and spilling out in torrential mass. It was only once this had happened and he saw Tieran's smile that he realised his error.

"_**Heh, nice work, King,**_" his hollow purred. "_**Looks like you're finally at my level. Guess I'll be taking back **_**my**_** body now!**_"

"You can't have it!" Ichigo growled, Tieran long gone by now, though his vision had begun to blur and grow shadowy. "I won't let you!"

"_**Too bad, King! It ain't your call anymore!**_"

"Damn..." Ichigo staggered, feeling his control dwindling and slipping from his fingertips. "I have to do something..." Quickly, he made for the Urahara Shoten, knowing the shop-keeper could help his situation. "I can't let this happen, not here, not now!" As he hurried for the shop, the over-sized zanpakuto in his hand started to dull and crack as his power as a Soul Reaper began to fail him, the disrupted nature of his current reiatsu as it hollowfied throwing his already terrible soul detection ability into a non-existent mess and meaning he was unable to detect the reiatsus of a certain two Soul Reaper Captains near his destination.

* * *

><p><strong>Urahara Shoten<strong>

The blonde man rifled through a folder full of various coloured slips and sheets of A4 papers, eventually coming to the one he was searching for and adding it to the small collection of three pieces of paper. Kisuke carried them to the assembled trio of the Soul Reaper leadership team, checking the items over with a great deal of caution.

"Here we are," he announced, sliding them over to Byakuya, who took them in his hand and carefully checked them over as well. "As requested, the order placed by Lieutenant Kuchiki on behalf of Head-Captain Yamamoto for the training supplies for Ichigo Kurosaki. If you could simply imprint your reiatsu here, Captain Kuchiki, I will cancel the order and ensure that Kurosaki-san does not have access to the details of it, as per the Head-Captain's request." Byakuya nodded and pressed his thumb to the paper, which glowed a rich blue briefly before showing the insignia of the Kuchiki Clan in a pool of blue reiatsu on the paper. "Very good. The requisition of Kuchiki-san's Gigai will take place in three days if not returned prior to then, and it will become defunct in a week of that, as is store policy. I am sorry if this is a problem."

"Not at all," Byakuya replied, stoic as always. "And what of the Senkaimon?"

"I am afraid that it is currently charging back up," Kisuke said, eyes hidden beneath his hat. "It has recently been repaired and serviced, and won't be usable for another twenty minutes. All I can offer is my apologies for the inconvenience and offer you a cup of tea while you wait."

Byakuya nodded curtly, signalling that this was not an issue either. Renji's eyes wandered to Rukia, who was sat with a cold, emotionless look on her face; the kind she got when she did not want to be doing what was about to be done. He felt his heart wrench at this sight, hating seeing his long-time friend in such abject sorrow, and not wanting a repeat of what had happened the last time she had parted ways with Ichigo; that Rukia was not the Rukia he knew and cherished every minute with; that was the Rukia who he despised and never wanted to come across again.

Inside her head, Rukia's thoughts were building; in one respect, she had no real option in this matter; it was a direct order from the Head-Captain himself, which made it hard enough to disobey, but the fact was that she would never be able to stand up to both Renji and Byakuya if it came to that; both were Captain-level Soul Reapers, and the thought of a Lieutenant overpowering two Captains in combat was laughable. However, despite the impossibility of the situation and what she wanted to happen, a part of her wanted to try to stay where she was; the part of her which was possessive refused to relinquish it's grip on anyone she considered her friend, and the rebellious part of her was backing it completely. The only question was how to do it.

Before anyone could speak, an intense pressure exploded outside of the building, crushing down over the shop with such force that it made each of the people in the small room stagger slightly. Rukia's eyes shot open wide as the dense sensation passed over her body, noting the semi-hollow reaction from the reiatsu as it washed over them all.

"This reiatsu..." she mused, hurriedly standing and rushing outside as Ichigo crashed to the ground, stumbling to his knees with Zangetsu's rather corroded form fracturing as it scraped across the ground and tore apart slightly. Rukia's breath hitched as she laid eyes on the bedraggled, pitiful state which Ichigo was in, a feeling of pain stabbing her through the heart. "Ichi... go?"

The man looked up, his left eye darkening about the sclera, the intense reiatsu still oozing from his being, and he gaped a little, shocked by the presence of Rukia and the look of worry on her features.

"Ru- Rukia?" he choked out. "What are- Ack!" Zangetsu broke further, the blade worn and almost cracked all the way across, while Ichigo spat a spray of blood over the floor, the blackened sclera spreading further. "Rukia, get away from me!"

"Ichigo, what's wrong?" Rukia asked, pleading him to explain, but he writhed in pain on the floor, unable to respond. "Ichigo, please, tell me what is going on!"

"He is transforming into a hollow, Rukia," Byakuya replied for the twisted young man, who raised his head again to see the newcomer. "That is why we must take you back to Soul Society, to stop it from becoming too strong for Kurosaki to control. However, it appears there is no chance of that happening anymore. Now, move aside, Rukia; I must sever his Soul Chain and Soul Sleep before he goes out of control. It is for the best."

The Captain of Sixth Squad drew his zanpakuto, readying himself to strike, but Rukia stayed put, shaking her head adamantly.

"I am sorry, Nii-sama, but I cannot do as you say this time," she said. Byakuya's eyes shed a little emotion, but otherwise he was unchanged.

"Very well," he replied. "Renji, kindly restrain Rukia." Reluctantly, the Third Squad Captain used a Shunpo to grab Rukia and disappear swiftly before she could struggle from his grip. Ichigo looked up at the older man, his face a mask of pain both physical and mental as he stared up at the Captain. "As unusual as it may seem, it is not easy for me to do this, Kurosaki, but you are becoming a danger to yourself and to those around. This is for the best."

"No, Byakuya, don't," Ichigo pleaded, his voice now becoming more warped and hollow-like. "You can't do this... I need my powers!"

"Be that as it may," Byakuya continued. "This must be done to protect those in Karakura and the World of the Living. I am sorry for what must be done."

Byakuya thrust his blade downwards towards Ichigo's chest with lethal force and speed. No sooner had he done this did the sound of metal splintering echo over the empty streets of Karakura, followed by a cry of pain. Nearby, Rukia had wrestled free of Renji's vice-like grip and had ran back towards where they had left Byakuya and Ichigo, but she stopped dead in her tracks when she heard that sound.

"No, it can't be..." she mumbled, unable to believe her ears. Broken, she fell to her knees and howled a single word to the black clouds drifting through the sky; "Ichigo!"

* * *

><p><em>Hope everything is going well with everyone, and hope you enjoyed this chapter.<em>

_Not much to say today, but be sure to review to tell me how you think this is going, and I will try to post again soon if I can._

_For now, however, good night!_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Brief: **Just over two years after he lost his Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo starts being able to sense spirits again, but what else will emerge as his powers start to re-emerge?_

_**Spoiler Warnings: **Post 423: Farewell Swords_

_**Note:** If you are looking for the continuation of my After the Winter War series, this is not it! **This is separate to my other works!**_

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki (of course), IshiHime, possible others include ByaHis._

_**Note: **"Bold/Italic" - Ichigo's hollow talking_

"_Italic" - any Zanpakuto talking_

_Italic – thoughts_

_**A/N:** I'm really sorry for the hiatus, but coursework's been heavy on me of late, and I couldn't do much work on this. But, with the beginning of the Easter holidays being very soon, I should have a few days free when I'm not revising (I hope, else I'm gonna go insane...)._

_Anyway, sorry again for the wait, but I hope this is worthwhile. Enjoy!_

* * *

><p><strong>Darkest Side of Me<strong>

**Chapter 12: Hollow Heart, Shattered Soul**

Renji caught up to Rukia quickly, finding her on the floor, a distraught look on her face. He hurried forward and grabbed her by the arm as she started to run again. The young Lieutenant turned to her childhood friend, amethyst eyes pleading him to let her go.

"It's not safe, Rukia," the red-haired Captain told her, keeping a firm grip on her arm. "You can feel it too, can't you? He's already started to change; you can't run blindly into this!"

"Let go of me, Renji!" Rukia spat. "I have to help him; it's my fault he is in this situation in the first place!"

"I understand that, Rukia, but you have to understand that he's beyond help n-" Rukia's free arm came round on Renji and slapped him hard across the face. The sudden action caught the Captain off-guard and his grip on her arm went limp, allowing her to pull away and step back a short way. Renji stared at her in shock while she glared back. "Did you just strike a superior?"

"Shut up, _Captain Abarai_!" Rukia growled, using his formal title to show how enraged she was with him. "After everything Ichigo has done for us, for Soul Society, you have the audacity to say that I can't even _try_ to help him? In all the time I have known him, Ichigo has never once given up on us, even if it put him in danger! That's why..." Rukia's gaze had fallen from Renji the moment she broke out of his grip, glaring at the ground and seething with anger, but now her head snapped up to face him as she shouted at him. "That's why I have to do this!"

She broke into a sprint before Renji had time to process the information. He sighed, disappointed with the outcome which had come to be.

"I'm sorry, Rukia," he said to the wind. "But I have to carry out my orders." And with that, he too was gone, hot on her heels and refusing to back down.

* * *

><p>Byakuya stared at the young man, his eyes wide. He could see Ichigo on the floor, barely propped up, his damaged and torn zanpakuto raised and blocking Senbonsakura, despite the fact that the blade had plunged through the cutting edge and lay dangerously close to the opposing end of the sword. Ichigo looked up, his left eye fully hollowfied and his mask forming around it, a red vertical line etching into the bone white of the mask itself, and spoke up with venomous eyes.<p>

"You don't understand, Byakuya," he growled, pushing himself unsteadily up. "I can't let you take my powers away from me again; I need them to destroy my hollow. And I don't care what you think about me, but know that I am not going to let you take my strength again... I..." The orange-haired Substitute glared at Byakuya as he stood, forcing the katana blade from his own. "I can not allow myself to lose again!"

"If that is how you feel, then prove it," Byakuya replied, his sword at the ready. "If you truly cannot allow yourself to lose, I will have to force you to see that it is futile."

Ichigo lunged, Zangetsu's tattered blade slamming down on Byakuya's katana, shards of broken metal spraying from it as the damage spread further through it. The Captain pushed back, sending Ichigo back a few feet. His sword arced round and cut Ichigo across the chest while he was open. The teenager yelled out in pain as blood oozed from the wound, but his shout was ended quickly as, with a hissing noise and a flurry of steam, the wound healed over. Byakuya's eyes widened a fraction, but he did not give Ichigo time to recover, lunging again with a rapid series of jabs with his zanpakuto, each glancing off of Zangetsu and chipping away at it until one cracked the sword through, leaving a small but obvious hole in it's wake. Ichigo shielded his face from the falling shards of zanpakuto, then fired a blast of reiatsu without meaning to from it. The sharp, dark reiatsu snapped it's jaws around Senbonsakura and lopped off the tip of the weapon, leaving it like an executioner sword.

_He has instant regeneration,_ the noble leader noted. _And that distinct reiatsu without his Bankai or mask. That can only mean that he is utilising his hollowfication to fight on. _Byakuya smile inwardly at the spirit Ichigo showed. _I should have expected nothing less from such a person._

"Hado Number 31, Shakkaho," he called out, firing a red fireball at Ichigo. He blocked with his arm over his face and his zanpakuto acting as a shield, but the flames hit him and exploded violently.

The orange-haired man stepped from the billowing smoke slightly singed himself, but Zangetsu had now lost the top twenty percent of it, and also had multiple holes and fractures running along it. The Substitute knew that his zanpakuto would not last much longer, and also that the more need he placed on the sword or his hollow powers, the faster he would be consumed, but he also knew that he had no choice but to go on, else he would lose his power altogether. He lunged at Byakuya, swinging in on the Captain with fast, frenzied swipes, making him back away further and further. He swung harder than before, aiming to cut Byakuya in the shoulder to disarm him, but the noble used Shunpo at last second to avoid it and the beaten blade arced into a brick wall, shattering it so that only a jagged stump of the blade, the last eighth on the zanpakuto remaining. Ichigo blinked in shock in the split second before a beam of white light shot through his chest. He gasped, staggered backward with his wound clutched in hand, and turned to face Byakuya, whose index finger was smoking slightly from the discharge of reshi from it.

"I had hoped that you would see reason by now, Kurosaki," he said, stoic as always. "But it seems that you are as stubborn as I remember you to be. Therefore, I must now destroy you before you can harm others." Byakuya's left hand shifted so that the palm was facing Ichigo. "Hado Number 54, Haien."

A blast of pink flames shot from Byakuya's hand and struck Ichigo in the chest with full-force. He cried out in pain as the intense fire burnt his flesh and singed his clothes and hair. He dropped Zangetsu and hit the floor, his very being engulfed in flames and pain biting at his every nerve. The noble watched as the zanpakuto faded completely and it's wielder burnt, writhing in abject agony all the while. Suddenly, a blast of ice shot over Ichigo, dousing the flames and numbing his wounds, which were already sealing thanks to the instant regeneration his body was using. Both men looked up at the place where the blast had come from, wide eyed with shock as they laid eyes on Rukia panting with her Shikai aimed at Ichigo, the traces of Hakuren still lingering.

"Stop this, Nii-sama!" she called to Byakuya. "Ichigo has done nothing wrong; there is no need to harm him!"

Abruptly, before anyone could say another word, Renji leapt out of the alleyway where Rukia had come from, grabbed the Lieutenant by the waist and pulled her off of her feet.

"Enough with this stupidity, Rukia!" he snapped. "We're going back to Soul Society _now_!"

"Rukia!" Ichigo shouted, pushing himself up while the woman struggled with Renji. "Renji, let her go!"

"I can't do that, Ichigo," Renji replied simply. "Just let this happen and maybe you'll be able to atone for your wrongs!"

"I won't let you-" Ichigo staggered, spitting out a thick spray of sanguine. "Dammit, I'm too late..."

The Substitute stumbled, the white hierro of his hollow side clawing over him fully, crying out in pain as his hollow hole tore itself open and his body hollowfied. It went dark in his head, an evil cackle spreading throughout his ears as his vision blurred and his body went numb.

Outside, the three Soul Reapers watched with mixed emotions as Ichigo transformed; his hair grew longer into a mullet as he fell to his knees. The dense hierro snaked from every pore in Ichigo's body and flooded his flesh chalk white while tribal patterns painted themselves in pitch black over the form, centring on a large hole at the centre of Ichigo's chest. At one point, his eyes snapped open briefly, gazing blindly with black sclera and golden iris, before clenching tight-shut again. The mask spread over the rest of Ichigo's face and melded with his flesh as the transformation wore on, making it impossible to distinguish between once-human flesh and the skull-like mask of the hollow possessing the body. The mask snapped shut around the back of Ichigo's head, the sharp-toothed, bull-horned mask completing itself in one movement by solidifying the back of the mask, the horns and the black vertical markings which ran over the eye-holes and passed the jaws.

The creature stood, the reiatsu it had conjured in it's creation depleting in the air as it rose to it's feet, the body becoming visible to all around. Rukia watched with wide, fearful eyes as the body gazed at each of them individually, seeing red tufts of fur appear like bright crimson flames on the pale skin of the wrists and collarbones of the hollow. The Soul Reaper uniform which Ichigo had worn was ripped and battered, the top non-existent and the legs shredded about mid-shin with no signs of the footwear either. The hollow reached up to it's neck and discarded at collar which Ichigo had been wearing, the wrist-bindings already on the dusty ground and forgotten. It then looked around once more, eyes resting on Rukia.

The young Lieutenant felt her blood freeze colder than her zanpakuto's abilities when it did; she stared at the creature, which stared back, head cocked curiously. She may have been stood a few metres away, but she could hear it making a noise; not the usual growl a hollow would make, nor was it a roar or anything aggressive; this noise was almost a gentle mewing more than anything else. She began to wonder if Ichigo was still influencing the beast, but her thoughts were cut short as Byakuya lunged in behind, aiming to cut the creature down while it was docile and before it went berserk. Without thinking about the situation, or even the repercussions of her actions, Rukia reacted in the way she ordinarily would;

"Nii-sama, no!"

The hollow snapped round in a flash then disappeared in a buzz of Sonido. As Byakuya stopped and tried to locate the hollow, it appeared beside him and grabbed him viciously by the throat, hoisting him easily from the ground and forcing the noble to drop his weapon lest he be choked. The hollow hissed, bringing Byakuya close to it's eyes, glaring darkly at the Captain, before then throwing him like a rag doll through the front of the Urahara Shoten with a loud crash and a series of cracks as the good on display crumpled beneath him. It reared up and roared victoriously, before then turning to Renji, who was once again trying to get Rukia out of harm's way. The beast roared again, this one full of fury and bloodlust, and lunged at him, punching Renji across the jaw and sending him hurtling into a wall behind him, Rukia falling to the floor, staying there as the hollow approached. Her body tensed, waiting for it to grab her and consume her soul, unable to move from fear.

The footsteps got louder as the being advanced, but started to grow quieter very quickly. Looking up, Rukia saw that the hollow had walked passed her as if she were part of the roadside, instead advancing on Renji, who had drawn his zanpakuto and released it.

"You bastard!" he growled. "Now, roar! Zabimaru!"

The segmented weapon shot forwards, uncoiling like a cobra at the hollow, which did not even flinch or slow down as it approached, instead swatting it away as if it were a fly and continuing to advance on the Captain. Renji cursed, jumping into the air and whipping the blade round to the hollow again. The teeth struck the hollow in the ribs and back, and Renji allowed himself to smile at his success. However, it soon proved premature and cocky as the creature turned it's head, the weapon raking it's flesh without breaking it, and grabbed Zabimaru, pulling the extending weapon to it's full length and adding more pressure. While Renji tried to wrestle his zanpakuto free from the clawed grip of the hollow, the creature growled, a red Cero charging between the horns, the swirling energy building in size and power before firing out in a high-density beam. The Captain's eyes widened as he saw this, but he could not dodge and keep Zabimaru in his hand. His eyes fell on his weapon, and he relented reluctantly.

"Sorry, Zabimaru," he said. "This is gonna sting."

The Captain let go of his zanpakuto and dodged to the side, turning just in time to see Zabimaru become engulfed in the bright scarlet energy as it shot into the night sky. The pulsing beam seemed to last for an eternity, but finally the charge ran short and the beam subsided, allowing the burnt, mangled and partially melted zanpakuto to fall morosely into it's master's grip once more. Renji pointed the torn Shiaki at the hollow.

"You'll pay for damaging my zanpakuto, you filthy hollow!" he barked, losing sight of the fact that the body still was that of Ichigo, despite the external looks. "Bankai!" The great pulse of reiatsu created a burst of dust and air to whip up, blurring the sight of Renji as he took on his Bankai, but no sooner had it solidified and the smokescreen cleared did Renji notice that the hollow was gone from where it had been standing. "What the hell?"

A light shone behind the Captain, accompanied by a whining sound and a growl, and he knew what was happening. He moved aside as the beam fired out, using his Bankai to increase his movement speed while dodging, but the beam arced round on him, moving in a sweeping motion with impossible precision for such an instinctual creature. Without him realising, Renji stumbled as the snake reared up, the Cero striking one of the bone segments and shattering it, along with the four nearby, and also throwing Renji's rhythm off. With the Captain distracted, the hollow lunged, grabbing his right upper arm and right-side chest before Renji could react. He yelled in pain as the hollow slowly pulled the arm from the joint, then wrenched it off of Renji's torso with the sound of tearing flesh, Renji's agonised howls, and the sight and stench of the thick crimson which poured from the rip in his shoulder. As the hollow pushed him away with little effort, he felt his fifth and fourth ribs split in two, showing Renji that the slow actions had been to torture him, but he could barely register this as his vision faded, his blood pouring all too quickly from his body for him to stay awake.

Rukia watched as Renji's body hit the floor, a trail of scarlet plasma leading to him as he crashed through the shop front and landed in a crumpled heap. Her eyes fell on Ichigo's hollow as he landed on the ground nearby, blood coating his sharp jaws as he chewed on the disembodied limb, not bothering to differentiate between bone, muscle or flesh. She felt sick watching the creature who had once been her friend chew on a limb of her childhood friend, having ripping it from him with his bare hands. She could understand now why Ichigo had so rarely shown his mask in front of her; it was a terrifying sight to behold, and the dark power it held, though it amazed her, also scared her, and Rukia felt sorry that Ichigo had had to endure such power crushing down on him, and also she felt guilty for never questioning what using that mask could do to Ichigo.

She stood up and ran to the beast as it threw the limb aside, bored of it now that most of the flesh and half of the hand and upper arm were devoured. As it advanced towards the Urahara Shoten, she stood in between them, arms spread to block it from going any further, and, to her surprise, the hollow stopped, giving her the same look as before.

"Stop this now," she said firmly, though her voice trembled with fear. With how close she was, Rukia could smell the flesh and blood tangled in the hollow's fangs, but she resisted the urge to gag and wretch. "Why are you doing this? You don't want to destroy Karakura Town, Ichigo, and you don't hurt your friends... So why..."

"_Pro..._" the hollow growled. The words were laboured, but it's was voice mostly Ichigo though with an extra voice mirroring it. "_Protect... I must... I... Protect..._"

"Yes, you want to protect Karakura."

"_No,_" the hollow stared her in the eye, raising it's left hand to her. "_Protect you... I must... protect... you._"

Rukia's eyes widened as the hollow rested it's hand on her right shoulder, tears brimming and a small smile on her lips.

"You're still there, aren't you, Ichigo?" she asked, but she was soon cut off by another voice behind her.

"Hado Number 33, Sokatsui!" Byakuya shouted, a wall of blue flames shooting forth from his hand and towards the hollow, Rukia still stood in between them.

The hollow moved first, grabbing Rukia into a hug and placing itself in the path of the fire to protect her from the Kido. The moment it had subsided, the creature released her and vanished in a flash of Sonido, moving out of sight and out of the area quickly. Byakuya scowled at the bemused Rukia, then turned into the shop.

"Urahara, I want you to lock down Karakura Town from the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo," he said. "Then call the healer girl here and establish a link to the Head-Captain immediately." He turned back to Rukia, his features stern with underlying anger. "Get inside now, Rukia."

The girl nodded, unable to will the words from her throat.

* * *

><p>Despite their best efforts, it took Urahara and Tessai almost an hour to fill out all of Byakuya's requests; between the damaged done to the shop, the heavy injuries Renji had sustained and the immense hollow reiatsu muddling readouts and the various devices Urahara had in place to defend Karakura, they had their work cut out for them, and it was good time for this to be done in an hour as a result. Byakuya sat at the table with Rukia opposite him, a now-cold cup of green tea in front of her and a freshly poured, steaming one before Byakuya. The head of the Kuchiki Clan had been scowling at Rukia and giving her a hard time by the 'silent treatment' he was employing for the past twenty minutes, but finally he spoke.<p>

"You disobeyed a direct order, Rukia," he scolded his sister, who did not meet his gaze, head bowed low. "You were ordered to inform me of your findings each week with the Substitute Soul Reaper, yet you hid the fact that Kurosaki was becoming a hollow again not only from myself but also the Head-Captain. Having violated these orders, you them compromised two Captains as they attempted to subdue the hollow. Your reckless actions could have resulted in the destruction of the World of the Living, and still might for that matter. What do you have to say for yourself?"

_Bite you tongue, Rukia,_ her conscience told her. _Don't talk back to your brother; he is both a Captain and the head of your noble clan. Don't do it._

"Damn you and damn the orders," Rukia replied, disregarding her better judgement. "Do you think I did it for myself? Do you think that my actions were to my own benefit in any way?" Byakuya looked shocked by Rukia's impertinence; she had always been calm and collected, prim and proper in the presence of both himself and the Kuchiki Clan, so for her to speak out like this to him directly stunned Byakuya. He went to stop her, but she continued before he could. "I did what I did for Ichigo; I knew that it went against my orders, and and know that now there is a hollow out there in Karakura Town, but Ichigo is still in that thing, and he is fighting it! I did not want Soul Society involved, because I knew that this would happen; your interfering is the reason that Ichigo even went berserk!"

"Rukia, I was simply trying-" Byakuya started, but Rukia cut him off again.

"Trying to fuck things up? Did it not strike you as strange that a hollow was stood in front of me and _not_ trying to tear me open?"

"Rukia-"

"He was not going to attack me, Nii-sama," Rukia said, tears brimming in her eyes, a few slipping onto her hakama. "He only attacked you because you threatened him, and he attacked Renji for trying to take me away and attacking him; Ichigo was trying to _protect_ me." She stood up and opened the door to the shop's front room. "You can do whatever you want, but I have to try to find Ichigo."

She was gone before Byakuya could say another word. Going over her words, he knew that Rukia was correct, but he had allowed his pride to get in the way of what he could see. The door behind him slid aside, revealing Urahara there.

"Ah, I see Kuchiki-san has left," the shop keeper noted absently, collecting the untouched cup from the table. "Captain Kuchiki, the Head-Captain has been brought up to speed, and he would like to speak with you immediately."

Byakuya stood and walked into the communication room, where a large display with the image of the Head-Captain's face on it was situated on the back wall. Byakuya bowed as a greeting, but said nothing, allowing Head-Captain Yamamoto to speak his will.

"Captain Kuchiki," he said solemnly. "Kisuke Urahara has informed me of the events of your mission, and also that the spiritually enriched area of Karakura Town has been sealed to prevent further damage being sustained by Ichigo Kurosaki. I also realise that Captain Abarai has been disabled, and Lieutenant Kuchiki has gone out in search of Kurosaki. Therefore, I am informing you that you personally have new orders; you are to subdue the hollow which used to be Ichigo Kurosaki with lethal force if necessary, and I am also authorising Protocol Seventeen." Byakuya's eyes widened a fraction in shock at this. "You have permission to use every force at your disposal to stop Kurosaki, and also anyone who stands in the way of this order. Kisuke Urahara has been working on a weapon for this eventuality; you are to use this on Kurosaki and return to Soul Society with Rukia Kuchiki, Renji Abarai and Ichigo Kurosaki, whether they be dead or alive." The great cane in the old man's hands slammed down on the other end of the screen. "That is all."

The screen went blank, and so did Byakuya's features, hiding his anxiety for his sister's life under such an order, and knowing that he could not disobey it as both Captain of Squad Six and Head of the Kuchiki Clan. Without a word, he followed Urahara into the secret store room to collect the weapon and take up his mission.

* * *

><p><em>I hope this doesn't feel rushed, but I have been without a computer and my pen-drive for the last week, and this next week I have a crap-load of revision to do for my summer modules ¬_¬'<em>

_So, this is gonna be my last post for sometime (I hope it isn't, but it probably will be...), so I hope it was worth the wait, and that the next will be too._

_Anyway, that's all from me for now; review and let me know what you thought of this._

_Bye!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN**: Sorry, I lied. Is it just me, or does it seem that Ichigo uses his mask really infrequently with Rukia around as far as he knows (I don't mean when she appears after it's gone and mentions it, just putting it on while she is in the direct area)?_


	13. Chapter 13

_**Brief: **Just over two years after he lost his Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo starts being able to sense spirits again, but what else will emerge as his powers start to re-emerge?_

_**Spoiler Warnings: **Post 423: Farewell Swords_

_**Note:** If you are looking for the continuation of my After the Winter War series, this is not it! **This is separate to my other works!**_

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki (of course), IshiHime, possible others include ByaHis._

_**Note: **"Bold/Italic" - Ichigo's hollow talking_

"_Italic" - any Zanpakuto talking_

_Italic – thoughts_

* * *

><p><strong>Darkest Side of Me<strong>

**Chapter 13: Desperate Fight; Kuchiki vs Kuchiki?**

Rukia ran through the air above Karakura, trying to detect Ichigo's presence. The hollowfied form he had taken on had created a great distortion of reiatsu in the air, making it obvious that he was indeed in the perimeter of the town, but his actual position was almost impossible to pinpoint because of how it lingered and suffocated everything in the area. Rukia stopped, pulling out her Denreishinki and checking the screen, but the screen was overcome with static and distortion, the great cloud of hollow reiatsu making it hard to detect any smaller hollows, or even any Pluses or Soul Reapers.

_Damn, _ she thought angrily. _At this rate, I'll never find him..._

"Ichigo," Rukia whispered to the air. " Where are you?"

An idea struck Rukia, and she hurriedly left in a flurry of Shunpo, heading for the one group who could help her find her lost friend before it was too late.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Urahara Shoten<strong>_

Renji stood up, getting himself dressed in his uniform, groaning in pain every so often. His right arm was missing, lost to the demonic form of Ichigo's hollow, but he refused to let that stop him. As he picked up Zabimaru and slotted it in his belt on his right hip, the door slid aside, revealing Byakuya there, his left sleeve removed but with silver armour covering the shoulder and forearm, connected by a set of wires, and a very large weapon sheathed on his back, hilt exposed over his left shoulder. The Captain of Squad Six gazed at Renji emotionlessly.

"What do you think you are doing, Captain Abarai?" he questioned. "You are in no state to fight any time soon. The healer girl will be here soon to replace that arm."

"I can't let you go there alone," Renji replied with a struggle. "I am capable of-"

"The only thing you would do entering this battle in such a pitiful state," Byakuya interrupted. "Is get in the way and end up dead." Renji recoiled at the harsh, emotionless words. "Rest and heal; as a Captain, you should know that you are no good to your Squad if you die at the hands of a mere hollow."

As if on cue, Orihime appeared in the doorway, shrinking back at the sight of Byakuya and the damage done to Renji.

"C- Captain Kuchiki," she said, stunned. "Renji, what happened to you?"

"Do not question such trivial things," Byakuya said stoically. "You were brought here to heal Captain Abarai's injuries, girl, so get to work."

With that, Byakuya left the shop, heading for the location of the intense reiatsu belonging to his target. Bemused, Orihime began to heal Renji, but, as she attempted to reject the damage done to the Captain's arm, a burst of darkened reiatsu flooded from the wound.

"This spiritual pressure..." she noted, anxious. "It's the same as when Ichigo-" Her eyes shot wide open. "Does this mean... No, that can't be true."

"It is," Renji finished. "He's not human anymore; he transformed into a hollow before me."

"What?" Orihime asked, shocked.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Edge of Karakura, Forested Area<strong>_

A hollow's feeble cry echoed over Karakura as it was torn to pieces, the arm wrenched from the socket and being chewed on enthusiastically by the rampaging Vasto Lorde, blood soaking the ground as it consumed the tore out appendage.

"**_This freedom,_**" it growled, the words only making sense to the creature itself. "**_It's better than I imagined. All this time, spent trapped inside that weakling's body, I finally have no boundaries to-_**" An invisible wall struck the hollow in the face, causing him to recoil. Confused, it raised it's hand and placed it against the barrier. "_**A barrier, huh. Such a pathetic attempt to contain my power**._"

The hollow pressed his hand against the barrier further, a section of a multi-coloured wall appearing around the area of Karakura in a circular, towering barrier. A stream of red tendrils spreading out from the extremity, a crack forming in the wall of reshi and spreading as, by sheer force of will and the strength of the output reiatsu. In a matter of moments, the barrier, much like cracked glass under the force of an intrigued child's finger, splintered, a hole about a rough ten by ten foot square forming with the edges illuminated in the same rainbow of Kido as before. The hollow grunted with disappointment as the weak effort needed to pierce the barrier.

"Bakudo Number 61, Riku Jokoro."

Six bars of yellow light struck the hollow, pinning his arms and holding him paralyzed. The creature roared in fury, trying to free itself, but the kido was holding up better than he had expected. His reiatsu felt lowered too, the air electric and scalding with the lack of reshi or reiatsu.

_Damn it,_ the creature thought. _What the hell is going on here? What is this?_

"It seems that this device is working as _that man_ theorised," came a voice. The hollow raised it's head and saw a man stood fairly nearby, the black haired noble looking down upon the trapped beast. "If Kurosaki had allowed himself to be subdued, it would never have come to this, hollow; even though you are a hollow and I a Soul Reaper, I have heard much of your power and respect it." He raised his hand to the brown-red hilt over his left shoulder, gripping it firmly and detaching it from the belt across his chest and bringing it round in front of him. Byakuya's right hand gripped the sheath and pulled it away from the weapon, throwing it aside.

The weapon was very large, the blade matching Byakuya's height with ease and holding triple the thickness of a standard katana. The blade itself was silver but with a blue tint to it, the kanji for the words 'slay' 'purify' and 'light' emblazoned in red across the flat edge. The tsuba existed only as three spikes jutting from a grey metal ring above the grip. Set inside the non-bladed edge of the sword lay the silver barrel of a high-power cannon, running from the makeshift tsuba to eight inches short of the tip of the blade, which curved slightly into the line of the cannon's fire. As the noble raised his new weapon, the kanji glinted in the low light.

"This weapon," he stated. "Was made solely to purify and destroy beasts such as yourself. The Kido-based energy infused within the blade and the barrel of the weapon is the equivalent of a level ninety Hado in a compressed form. As such, thrusting this through anything is almost certain to kill them. However, the power of this weapon, when thrust through a hollow's hole, cremates them with the strength of a level ninety-seven Hado. Goodbye, hollow."

Byakuya ran forward, the Bakudo on the hollow breaking down quickly, reduced to only four of the six bars in the short expanse of time, blade aimed at the centre of the hole in the creature's chest.

* * *

><p>Ichigo's eyes pried themselves open slowly, the searing light burning his retinas as he did so. His body ached, and the ground beneath him felt cold though his body itself felt fairly warm, which puzzled him. He became aware that he was lying down on what felt like a road, shards of loose tarmac stuck to his clothes, hair and even exposed areas of his skin. The confused young man sat up and looked around his surroundings.<p>

He found he was, indeed, on a road, in the middle of a large city, by the look of it. The road was damaged in places and faded in colour, and the paths on either side were in the same state of disrepair, the stone cracked and eroded into a rough ghost of itself. Along the roadside, metal railings and signposts lay twisted and rusted, some torn out of the ground and lying strewn over the paths. The buildings which lined the streets towered into the sky, the grey behemoths familiar but alien to the young Substitute Soul Reaper; the buildings were huge, the tops unseen from the street level, but several holes in the concrete structures were evident as if someone had taken a few pounds of plastic explosive to them, and the windows were cracked, chipped or just plain missing.

"What the hell is this place?" Ichigo wondered aloud, gazing at the crimson sky, heavy with dark clouds and ready to pour down. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted out. "Hey! Is anyone here?"

Silence except for the resounding echoes of his own voice against the decrepit and desolate skyscrapers. Frowning, he climbed up a flight of stairs, reaching the peak of a skyscraper and taking in the surroundings from a high vantage point, but all he could see was what he had witnessed on the street repeated over and over as far as the eye could see. He ran a hand through his hair.

_How did I even get here? _Ichigo thought. _Or more importantly, how do I get back to Karakura Town?_

Overhead, thunder clapped loudly and rain began to trickle from the clouds above. The orange-haired Soul Reaper retreated inside the tower he was on, sitting on the edge of a gaping hole in the side, which bit into the floor too, and watched the rain pour down in torrents as he tried to figure out the answers to his questions, his melancholic mood to the weather not helped as his mind drew blank after blank.

* * *

><p>A blast of ice shot out between Byakuya and the hollow, startling the former and making him jump backwards, thinking it was the hollow's actions. However, a silhouette appeared before the wall and proved him wrong, the blade in the newcomer's hand all too familiar for him.<p>

"What do you think you are doing, Rukia?" he asked stoically.

"Trying to stop you from making the same mistake again, Nii-sama," Rukia replied sharply. "There is no need to destroy Ichigo; he has fought this before and he can do it again."

"That is out of the question now, Rukia," Byakuya said, his tone ever emotionless. "The Head Captain has ordered Protocol Seventeen be in place; I am bound by my duty as a Captain of the Gotei Thirteen and as head of the Kuchiki Clan to follow out the order to subdue this threat by any means. Now, stand aside."

"No, brother," Rukia replied. Byakuya had stepped forward as he told her to move, but backed away a step as she raised her sword to him. "I cannot allow you to carry out this order; _I_ am bound by my duty as Ichigo's friend and as the one who caused all this."

"You dare to raise your sword to a Captain?" he asked coldly. "Is this boy so valuable in your eyes that you would go to such lengths as this? Think carefully before you act, Rukia; your actions are that of treason, and you know what that means."

"And you know that I will sacrifice myself again to stop you from destroying Ichigo," Rukia spat. "Now stand back or raise your weapon, Byakuya; I will not think twice about attacking you if you try to carry on like this."

"It is clear that your feelings for this man has blinded you to the reality of the world," Byakuya sighed, drawing Senbonsakura in his right hand. "In that case, I will use my power to open you eyes once more." He released his grip on the sword, allowing it to plummet into the ground. "Bankai." Huge blades erupted from the ground on either side of Byakuya, glowing pink as he released his zanpakuto fully. "Scatter, Senbonsakura Kageyoshi."

The blades splintered, scattering thousands upon thousands of blades around the battleground. The blades surrounded the young Soul Reaper, not forcing down upon her but merely preventing her movement. However, as Byakuya went to finish the hollow off before it was too late and the Kido broke, he froze on the spot as the sphere of blades around Rukia froze. His eyes widened as a light grew in the centre, and a single word escaped from the sphere.

"Bankai."

The light engulfed the area swiftly, a pure white aura emanating from the sphere's core before it shattered in a flurry of powdered snow, ice and the dispersed pink blades of Senbonsakura Kageyoshi, a wave of icy reiatsu pouring out and coating the immediate area with a lick of frost. The force of the reiatsu and the icy nature of it forced Byakuya to shield his face. When he looked again, he could see Rukia stood in the mist of her Bankai's release, and again found his eyes widening in awe of the sight of his adoptive sister.

The loose-fitting sleeves of her black uniform had vaporised at the shoulder, leaving her arms exposed entirely except for a pair of white tekkou which extended just passed her elbows. The remaining uniform had become bleached of all colour, becoming as pure a white as freshly fallen snow, the exception being her Lieutenants badge, which remained in place on her arm and unaffected by the release of her Bankai. The obi around her waist had lengthened, resulting in a larger but arguably more elegant overall appearance. While her Lieutenants badge remained on her left shoulder, her right shoulder was accompanied by a white hibiscus rose which appeared to be melded with Rukia's flesh. Byakuya took all this in before spying the weapons in Rukia's hands.

_She has two blades in Bankai,_ he thought. _Unless I am mistaken, Rukia holds the third twin-zanpakuto known to Seireitei._

He silently admired the swords; they were identical to one another, sporting the same look as her Shikai blade from the end of the hilt to the top of the tsuba. The ribbon extending out of the hilt was also the same, except that each sword now had two and they were longer than in Shikai. The blades were composed entirely of ice, running thinner than the metal of the Shikai form but also slightly longer. Around the short extension of the tsuba which gripped the icy blade in place lay another white hibiscus rose, the three flowers all swaying gently in the light breeze which remained from the release.

"This, Nii-sama," Rukia finally said. "Is my zanpakuto's Bankai; Hana no Shirayuki."

"The Flower of White Snow," Byakuya mused. "The elegance and beauty of your Shikai is only topped by that of your Bankai; your zanpakuto is indeed deserving of the title of the most beautiful in Seireitei."

"Thank you, Nii-sama," Rukia nodded curtly, a light blush gracing her porcelain cheeks. "I did not want to show you this under these circumstances, but when you released your Bankai, I had no chance. I will only say this once, please, Nii-sama, don't do this; Ichigo can fight his hollow and come to his senses, I know he can."

"Your faith, in the boy has never faltered," he observed. "However, I cannot allow it this time; as I have said before, I would be going against my duty as a Captain. I am sorry it came to this."

"As am I," Rukia nodded, raising both swords. "In that case, I will have to stop you before you can do anything against him."

The hollow behind them smashed through the ice wall, roaring in fury for being restrained by Byakuya's Kido. It lowered it's head, a crimson Cero charging in a sphere between the horns of the mask and aimed at Byakuya. Rukia's eyes widened in shock at this, but Byakuya simply raised the blade in his left hand, a bright azure light emanating from the blade and the tip of the barrel ingrained in it. Both fired together, the blasts clashing and fighting for dominance over the other, a vibrant white light pouring from the epicentre of the blasts. However, it was short lived before the Cero detonated, effectively cancelling the Kido shot out. The Hollow vanished with a buzz of Sonido, appearing behind Byakuya to repeat the attack, but the pink blades of Senbonsakura struck it in the face, cancelling the Cero before it could gain critical detonation mass, and another blast of azure light shot through the air, missing the hollow by a hairs breadth as it vanished again.

"Rukia," Byakuya said, keeping vigilant in case the beast came at him again. "If you can subdue this hollow before it can cause any more damage to the area, I will grant you a maximum of one hour before I carry out the execution. Understand?"

"Thank you, Nii-sama," Rukia smiled softly. "If you can distract him, I may be able to bind him in a way to keep him from lashing out."

"Very well," Byakuya nodded, spying a crimson shine in the dark of the canopy above. "Here it comes."

Another burst of reshi shot out, missing the intended target by a few moments and instead crashing into the remaining area of the barrier, exploding forcefully and shattering another hole above and slightly left of the rend already present in it. Byakuya raised his right hand, sending a flurry of pink blades towards the hollow. The beast reared up and sprang forward, charging for the attacker furiously, a stream of dark reiatsu pouring out behind before it vanished and reappeared in close proximity to the noble, a clawed hand aimed for his chest but meeting a wall of blades. It roared in pain, the tiny blades piercing it's hierro and lacerating the appendage heavily, and backed off quickly, but the wounds were quickly starting to seal up and it soon lunged in for another strike, but this was met by a well-timed Danku.

While this was unfolding before her, Rukia focussed her reiatsu, concentrating on the Kido she had in mind. She knew that in order for her plan to work, she would have to time her move precisely; if the timing was out, she could compromise Byakuya in his efforts to suppress the hollow, or the Kido could backfire and make the hollow attack her; either way, the results were far from favourable. Taking a deep breath, she placed her swords on the ground and raised her hands, left with the palm facing outward, right with the index and middle fingers crossed and raised. She started to speak the incantation moments later.

"Carriage of thunder," Rukia said clearly and firmly, making gestures with her right hand and drawing out a symbol in red light. "Bridge of a spinning wheel!" Completing the symbol, Rukia gripped her right wrist with her left hand and aimed the right hand at the hollow. "Disintergrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and claw out your own throat!" Red energy flared around the petite Lieutenant as the first incantation was completed. "With light, divide this into six!" A faint trail of yellow snaked around Rukia's fingers. Byakuya gazed at Rukia out of the corner of his eye.

_Stacking Rikujokoro and Geki together through Niju Eisho,_ he noted. _Such a skill is to be expected of a Lieutenant._

"Bakudo number 9!" Rukia shouted. "Geki!" The hollow growled in fury as its body froze, engulfed in red light. "Bakudo number 61! Rikujokoro!" Six bars of yellow light slammed into the Hollow's midsection, rendering it immobile as the red light began to grow faint. Rukia panted, coming closer to the captured beast with her blades in hand, Byakuya also approaching the hollow.

"Well done, Rukia," he said stoically. "I will allow you the time for the boy to return to his senses of his own accord."

"Forgive me, Byakuya," Rukia said without emotion, standing close to her brother, her head lowered as if in shame with herself.

"It is alright, Rukia," he said before stopping himself, eyes widening. _Did she just say Byakuya?_

"Hado number 1," he heard her say abruptly. "Sho!"

The noble shot backwards before he could do anything, the high power placed into the low-level Hado enough to send him back ten feet and into a tree, causing him to drop the Purifier, the sword he had been holding. As it clattered to the floor, Rukia backed away, coming close to the hollow once more.

"Now!" she bellowed to the night sky.

Byakuya gestured his right hand towards the hollow, the furious blades of Sebonsakura Kageyoshi raging through the air towards the hollow, intent on cutting him down there and then, but they never reached their target. Suddenly, a huge field of orange energy surged upwards in a four foot radius of Rukia, forming a wall. Three more walls also sprung up, forming an orange building with eight protrusions on the roof. The pink blades flowed into the nearest wall, bouncing away without scratching the surface. They surged around the barrier, slamming into it on all sides like an infuriated river in a storm, but it was in vain and the barrier held firm.

"What is this?" Byakuya asked, grabbing the Purifier and standing. "Sebonsakura should have no trouble piercing such a barrier as this."

"This is no ordinary barrier," said a deep voice from the bushes nearby. A large man in a green suit stepped into view, his golden eyes serious. "My Hachigyo Sogai was designed to hide the presence of my colleagues and also protect us while we trained and maintained our powers more than one hundred years ago."

"You," Byakuya glared. "You are one of the Vizards."

"My name is Hachigen Ushoda, Captain Kuchiki," Hachi reminded the Captain with a bow. "And I mean you no offence, but I cannot allow you to interfere with Miss Rukia's wishes."

"What did you say?" he asked the larger man in disbelief.

"Miss Rukia came to the Vizards to ask our help in tracking down Ichigo," Hachi explained, pulling his mask on and performing gestures with his hands. A cluster of blue circular barriers appeared in the air and on the ground surrounding the barrier. "After tracing his reiatsu, she requested that I help her seal Ichigo away to prevent him from damaging Karakura, but also to prevent you from destroying him. That is why I cannot allow your actions."

"I do not have time for this foolishness," Byakuya replied harshly, raising his blade to face the nearest wall of the barrier. The blade began to glow a deep orange while the vents and muzzle of the cannon lit up a deep scarlet. "Purifying blast; Divine Reckoning!"

The light intensified as it launched forth in the form of a Phoenix, the great beast extending it's fiery wings and soaring towards the Hachigyo Sogai. Hachi scowled under his mask, clapping his hands once then clicking his fingers in a quick burst of six. Abruptly, the Phoenix stopped dead as it struck a cyan hexagonal field head on. It screeched in fury and backed up to take another attempt, but the hexagon unleashed a set of tendrils, the cyan tentacles binding around the creature's neck, beak, wings and body.

"Such a noisy beast," Hachi sid disapprovingly. "There is work to be done, and you are getting in the way." He clicked his right fingers, a red pulse resounding from it. The Phoenix shrieked again as the barrier engulfed it and shrank sporadically into nothingness. Bykuya stared at the sight as Hachi turned to him. "Now, Byakuya Kuchiki, please allow me to fulfil Miss Rukia's requests."

Hachi made a trio of gestures, causing eight blue bars to spring between the barriers surrounding the Hachigyo Sogai. More movements and mass numbers of thick black-purple chains snaked around the Hachigyo Sogai, an extra one running around the bars around the barrier. Slowly but surely, the barrier inside the bars turned black, preventing all reiatsu, sound and sight escaping from within the Hachigyo Sogai. Hachi panted, removing his mask.

"There, it is done," he confirmed. "I admit that this is my first time attempting this transformation, but I believe that the Eight-Tier Night Sky Twin Cliff is working as expected. Now, Squad Six Captain, we must wait. Also, you might want to lower that weapon; it would appear it is destabilising."

Byakuya's eyes shot open as the Purifier rippled as its energy overloaded, letting go sharply as a jet of flame burst from in. The fire engulfed the Purifier, consuming it as it lost its shape and prepared to explode. Hachi clicked his fingers once more, a blue cuboid capturing the sword before it detonated and safely containing the blast before dissipating. Inside the now darkened Hachigyo Sogai, Rukia had sheathed her now sealed zanpakuto and sat waiting for Ichigo to come back while the hollow stared back at her, intrigued and not struggling. The Lieutenant raised her knees to her chest and hugged them close, resting her chin upon them.

_Please, Ichigo,_ she thought sadly. _Please come back soon._

* * *

><p><em>Holy Hellfire, this took me too long, and I'm sorry for that.<em>

_I have been busy with revision of late, hence the delayed posting, but I managed to do some writing all the same, so I hope you guys nd girls can forgive me for that._

* * *

><p><em>A point or two about this chapter;<em>

_About Rukia's Bankai; I substituted the word for 'sleeve' (sode) for the word for 'flower' (hana) for the name. If it turns out to be an inaccurate pronunciation, please let me know. Also, the reason for the use of white and the hibiscus rose is for the following reasons; white is a colour meaning elegance and the hibiscus rose is viewed as a symbol of beauty in Japan, so I felt it matched Rukia's style, especially considering that her zanpakuto is often acclaimed to be the most beautiful in Soul Society._

_About Hachi's Kido; I realise that he would hardly call his Kido something in English, but I did not know the Japanese for it. The reason for the name was the eight bars (eight-tier), the impenetrable dark exterior (Night Sky) and is based around the Hachigyo Sogai (which means Eight-Joined Twin Cliffs)._

* * *

><p><em>Anyway, apologies again for the lateness and also for the long-winded freaking AN, but, if I haven't bored you all to death, I hope you enjoyed this update and I will update again when I can._


	14. Chapter 14

_**Brief: **Just over two years after he lost his Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo starts being able to sense spirits again, but what else will emerge as his powers start to re-emerge?_

_**Spoiler Warnings: **Post 423: Farewell Swords_

_**Note:** If you are looking for the continuation of my After the Winter War series, this is not it! **This is separate to my other works!**_

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki (of course), IshiHime, possible others include ByaHis._

_**Note: **"Bold/Italic" - Ichigo's hollow talking_

"_Italic" - any Zanpakuto talking_

_Italic – thoughts_

* * *

><p><strong>Darkest Side of Me<strong>

**Chapter 14: Battle of the Soul, Confrontation in the Distorted World**

The world rippled and trembled around Ichigo as he gazed out into the mournful world around him. The rain had stopped moments earlier, but the air was still thick with the sorrowful substance despite this. In the distance, a towering building cracked and tumbled to the floor with an almighty crash, shattered concrete and glass raining down as smoke billowed from the fallen half of the skyscraper. Before he could react, another building toppled over, this one closer than the previous, then another closer than that.

_Something's coming,_ Ichigo concluded, drawing Zangetsu from his back. _And I think I know just what it is._

Sure enough, a black silhouette shot up the side of the building he was in. Jumping out of the opening he was sat by, Ichigo sprang off of the air, using the reshi in it to allow him to run upwards along the side of the skyscraper. On the roof of the building stood a figure in a white shihakusho and black tabi. The being turned to Ichigo, revealing that he was holding a cleaver with a black cutting edge and a silver inner section, the inverted form of Zangetsu, and a black mask with with two horns jutting from the sides.

"_**Well, well, well,**_" the hollow sneered. "_**Seems you didn't do that good a job at withstanding that moron of a Captain, King.**_" It chuckled. "_**Actually, calling you King is pointless now that I have control of your body. How does it feel to know you've failed, Horse?**_" It roared with laughter at it's words, but Ichigo remained unfazed.

"You may have control for now," he replied. "But I'll be damned if I let you keep it, you bastard." He pointed his weapon at his hollow form, the sealed blade pointed at its hollow hole. "Even if it means the end of me, I will not allow you to keep control over me. I will defeat you, and I will take back my body. For the sake of protecting what we must, stand and cleave the moon! Zangetsu!"

The weapon transformed in an instant into it's Shikai, the Bowie-knife-like shape of the blade aimed at the hollowfied replica of Ichigo and itself. Without allowing any time for his hollow to advance, Ichigo lunged forward, bringing Zangetsu down upon the hollow equivalent, the sound of steel on steel drowned out by the sudden explosion of thunder and lightning. The hollow grinned, placing its mask atop its head.

"_**This world of yours is falling apart, Ichigo,**_" it growled with amusement. "_**Soon the darkness will take over, and your world will be mine.**_"

"That's not gonna happen," Ichigo growled, noticing how the world seemed to be turning to black reshi and spiralling off into the air in the distance. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

A blue arc of light burst from Ichigo's sword, the point blank lunar fang disrupting the hollow and causing it to back off a little, just enough to allow Ichigo to swing another at full-force. The massive arc struck the hollow head-on and forced it into the taller building behind it. The powerful attack created shockwaves over the area, tearing the concrete to pieces and shattered a hole around the side of the building with little trouble. However, the hollow quickly leapt out of the mass of rubble, firing off a red Getsuga as it approached rapidly. Ichigo raised his blade and blocked it, but the attack left him open to the close-range strike as the hollow reached him with no time to correct.

_Damn,_ he thought as the inverted Zangetsu sliced into his flesh, sheering his skin and creating a great spray of crimson through the air. Another crash of thunder overhead signalled the arrival of the rain as it poured down again, thicker this time. The stream of blood in Ichigo's chest poured out into the puddles, creating red stains over the skyscraper. He glared at the creature as it raised it's left hand, index finger aimed at him as a scarlet orb swirled above the tip. Ichigo forced himself to his feet, gripping his version of Zangetsu in both hands as the Cero offloaded and shot towards him, the destructive power of the beam known to the Soul Reaper as he blocked the attack, unleashing a Getsuga to debuff the energy effectively. The hollow lunged once more, the blade in its grip swinging wide. Ichigo sidestepped at the right moment, evading the attack and allowing him to place an effective counter-attack in the hollow's blind spot.

He did not see the red sphere pulsing beneath the hollow's arm until it struck his blade and Ichigo himself, scorching his side and sending the sword wide with a damaged blade. His eyes wide, Ichigo could only watch, stunned, as the hollow vanished from sight then kicked him in full-force into the sky, the torrential downpour increasing ever more as he went higher and higher.

"_**You're weak, Ichigo!**_" the hollow screamed, giving chase as Ichigo grew stable. They locked blades once again as the beast caught up, the swords clashing viciously against one another and remaining in sword-lock as they continued to climb. "_**You think you can defeat me with that pathetic excuse of a will? Where's your killer instinct, you weakling? Without that, you will never be strong enough to defeat me!**_"

The pair of them pushed apart, standing several feet away from one another in the air, the buildings below crumbling as the hollow's influence crushed the inner world while the sky above heaved with thunder, rain and lightning. The dark plains of the venomous sky set the perfect backdrop for their battle as black reshi swirled into the air once more, the world crumbling away as the conflict unfolded above.

"I don't care what you think," Ichigo panted, pointing Zangetsu at the hollow. "I shall defeat you, hollow! Bankai!" A blue aura engulfed the zanpakuto as Ichigo spoke, but a pulse of reiatsu burst from it, the aura fading as he attempted to take on Bankai. His eyes widened in surprise. "What the-" He turned his attention to the hollow. "You bastard, what did you do to Zangetsu?"

"_**What makes you think I've done anything to your zanpakuto?**_" it barked back. "_**The reality is that your Bankai does not exist; what do you think Saiga no Getsuga Tenshou is, baka? By using that move, the Zangetsu, Tensa Zangetsu and even the hollow you knew before using it were all crushed into one being and vanished. Do you understand, Ichigo? I hold all of the powers you knew; until you defeat me, you cannot use Bankai!**_"

The hollow's sword was engulfed in red energy, emerging in the form of the former Bankai, but the tsuba had been turned black due to the melding of the two editions of Tensa Zangetsu together. Ichigo's eyes widened, but he did not have much time to be shocked as the hollow lunged, a black and red reiatsu trailing behind on the blade in its grip. He raised his Shikai Zangetsu to blocked the strike, but the step-up in power was clear as the simple single-handed swing sent Ichigo flying backwards, following the trajectory of the swing and hurtling to the hollow's left. An arc of dark reiatsu came for him, but Ichigo was ready, charging his own Getsuga to its full power before unleashing it into the heart of the dark, smaller equivalent.

The dark wave crashed into the blue one and stopped dead, clashing strongly for dominance. Ichigo reeled in his strength, pulling back his blade to release another and push the balance over, when beam of crimson energy shot from the centre of the clashing reshi attacks and piercing his left side. Ichigo yelled in pain as the energy burned through him, a leaking trail of blood falling to the floor from the wounds in both Ichigo's front and back. No sooner had the beam faded did the hollow charge in again, smashing its blade into Ichigo's and again sending them flying in opposing directions. As he plummeted, trying to claw onto the air and gain a foothold against the hollow, Ichigo could not help but notice his injuries.

_Even if this costs me my life,_ he thought firmly. _Even if I can't use my powers and my soul is destroyed, I will defeat this hollow!_

* * *

><p>Rukia stood and walked closer to the hollow, which did not seem to have moved since being placed under the Kido almost three hours ago. The petite Soul Reaper was growing more and more anxious as time passed by; she did not know how long it would take Ichigo to get back in control, but a part of her thought he would have succeeded by now. Her anxiety only increased when the hollow began to thrash within the confines of the two Bakudo placed on it.<p>

"Dammit, Ichigo," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "What are you doing in there?"

The hollow roared a little, the red glow of Geki vaporising in that moment along with one of the bars of Rikujokoro, which shattered like glass. Rukia flinched back a little, estimating that she had a maximum of two hours before the hollow broke free, whether that was as Ichigo or the killing machine he had become was another matter entirely.

Outside, Byakuya had sealed his zanpakuto, seeing that fighting the Vizard, who had opted for sitting in a meditative stance on the ground, was pointless. He walked over to the larger man, finally deciding to speak his mind.

"Tell me," he started. "Why did the Vizards abandon Soul Society after the Winter War?"

"I am surprised you need to ask," Hachi replied, glancing at Byakuya but still focussing on his Kido. "We were never truly your allies; as Shinji said to the Head-Captain, we were Aizen's enemies, not your allies. With our common foe defeated, there was no real point to remain allies." Hachi's eyes glinted. "Or rather, that is what you most likely believe." Byakuya's eyes widened in shock at this.

"In truth," Hachi continued, looking back to the Kido barriers he had set up. "The reason was not that simple. We had been in contact with Kisuke Urahara for many many years, and it was from him we learnt that Ichigo might regain his powers, and that his hollow side might have been more powerful than him. That was why we remained here in the World of the Living and did not return to Soul Society, despite our wishes to some day. It was decided that we would help Ichigo overcome his hollow once and for all, but it seems we miscalculated its strength, and the results were catastrophic."

"So the items stolen from the Urahara Shoten and the damage to the down town area of Karakura Town was your doing?" the noble asked.

"We did not steal anything; we simply removed Kisuke's knowledge of selling the items so that Soul Society did not find out and attempt to stop us," Hachi said plainly. "None of us wanted it to turn out as it did, but it seems this was unavoidable. You have our sincerest apologies for the damage we have caused."

"Spare me the confessions," Byakuya said coldly. Hachi turned to face the man again, shock evident in his eyes, before Byakuya added; "We are not without our own mistakes and their resulting damages, therefore to seek forgiveness from Soul Society is a pointless exercise."

Hachi smiled, returning his gaze to the black barrier, silently accepting what the noble had said.

* * *

><p>Ichigo cried out as the white blade of the hollow's Tensa Zangetsu came crashing into his own sword, the blade cutting into Zangetsu and showering Ichigo in shards of broken steel as he was kicked into the clouds again. He had no idea how long he had been fighting, but Zangetsu was beginning to fall apart as the fierce battle raged on, and he knew that, at this rate, his zanpakuto would degrade to the point of destruction before too much longer.<p>

"_**Is that all you have, Ichigo?**_" the hollow's fierce shouts echoed in the stormy battleground. "_**You have nothing left to give? You really are pathetic! No killer instinct, no Bankai, and you have become as weak as a newborn! Let me end this farcical fight by crushing you like the baby you are!**_"

Out of the corner of his eye, Ichigo spotted a shadow shift in the dense clouds. He swung his damaged zanpakuto, slicing through the clouds but hitting nothing physical. Another shadow came out of his blind spot, but again nothing made itself known in terms of physical body. Then he saw it; a glint of metal from the distance. He raised his sword to block in time to see the hollow lunge out of the clouds, bringing Tensa Zangetsu crashing down upon the warped Shikai in Ichigo's grasp with a loud crash of metal on metal. The hollow's amber eyes were remorseless as it pushed down with both reiatsu and strength, forcing the thinner blade through Zangetsu and slicing into it. Ichigo had no time to react before the sword burst through the opposite side of Zangetsu. The orange-haired man watched in disbelief as the severed end of Zangetsu plummeted to the ground and the white katana blade in his hollow's hands sliced into his left upper arm, leaving a laceration which went into the flesh and muscle, nearly to the bone. It was only then that Ichigo backed off, gripping his wound and the hilt of his sword in his right hand. The hollow raised its left hand, gripped underneath the jaw of the mask on its face and pulled upwards, removing the black mask so that Ichigo could see his face properly.

"_**Do you see now what I mean?**_" it asked. Strangely to Ichigo, the hollow no longer had the same eager or blood-thirsty element to its voice; if anything, it held a shred of pity in a mass of disappointment. "_**You are weak. No matter how you look at it, compared to my power, you are little more than a human.**_" The hollow's mask deteriorated into reshi, absorbing into his hand. "_**Why bother fighting on when your weapon is broken in half? If you surrender and resign yourself to this, I will make it quick and painless. Is that what you want?**_"

Ichigo had been panting, listening to the hollow, head lowered so that his eyes were not visible under the mass of his hair. He raised his head and released his wounded arm, blood pouring from it all the while and trickling down the man's arm.

"I would rather go down fighting like a Soul Reaper," Ichigo said resolutely, his eyes shining blue. "Than give up like a coward. I will fight you until I can no longer lift my arms or move my legs, hollow. And I will defeat you!"

The hollow grinned, glaring at Ichigo.

"_**Just as I expected from you,**_" it cackled. "_**So be it!**_"

Despite his resolution, Ichigo quickly came to terms with how much trouble he was in. The hollow vanished from sight, stunning him for just a second, but it was long enough for the hollow to cut him across the back, the blade raking into Ichigo's skin and sparking his pain receptors into a fiery frenzy of agony. He turned to swing the stump of a sword in his hand, but the jagged end missed and he received a jab landing just above his left eyebrow, leaving a shallow wound which bled profusely. He tried again to attack, but the hollow swung its sword, parrying the Shikai wide, and spun around, the roundhouse kick which Ichigo had not foreseen slamming into his left lower jaw.

The world spun as Ichigo hurtled away. He gripped the reshi in the air, slowing himself with his left hand while keeping a firm grip on Zangetsu with his right. Suddenly, one of the decaying reshi trails ripped into the skies, engulfing his right hand as he passed. The black reshi coated the remains of Zangetsu and dissipated, turning it to nothingness as if it was an illusion in smoke. Ichigo roared in agony as the energy laced his hand, creeping up his wrist and forearm until it had engulfed his entire right arm. The joint of his shoulder to his torso ached as the pain seeped in; it felt as if he was back on the roof of Los Noches, like he was slowly dying. The hollow came into sight in a burst of Sonido as Ichigo sank to his knees, holding the join of his body and arm tightly as if his hand was the only thing holding the two together.

"_**How does it feel, Ichigo?**_" the hollow asked darkly. "_**How does it feel to be dying by the corruption of a hollow on your inner world? Does it scare you?**_" Ichigo did not answer, his energy being used to retain his arm. "_**Tch, fine. I'll finish you now and finally I'll have your body as my own forever.**_" The hollow approached, raising its sword above Ichigo's head, ready to end it all. "_**Farewell, Ichigo Kurosaki.**_"

As the sword began its descent, Ichigo thought of the feeling in his right arm, and realised it was not simply death...

It was loneliness.

* * *

><p>Again the hollow thrashed, leaving only two bars from Rikujokoro intact. Rukia's anxiety and sorrow was palpable as the weather shifted, the dense clouds above the spiritually enriched zone of Karakura finally offloading their weighty cargoes and pouring down in torrents. Despite it's nature of masking everything inside from the outside and visa versa, the rain poured through the top of the barriers around the pair, the beast settling down again while Rukia watched impatiently. As the rain fell, Rukia's shihakusho grew heavy, sticking to her petite figure in its water-logged state, and her hair plastered itself to her scalp, neck and face, a disadvantage, she had noticed, of having longer hair.<p>

The hollow abruptly fell to its knees, head faced down, and Rukia thought for a moment that Ichigo had come back or the hollow had overpowered him, watching worriedly for a sign of which, but neither were the case. The creature began mumbled something as it stayed there in the rain, forcing Rukia to creep closer to hear.

"...alone," she heard it say. "Feel... alone. I am... alone." It uttered the words over and over again, sending a pang of sadness and a stab of guilt through Rukia's heart. She was no longer standing, crawling on her knees to the hollow and gripping its arms so that she had a firm hold on it and could see the mask fully. Despite the horrific looks of it, the hollow appeared to be crying as rain drops rebounded off of the mask, circling down into the eye-sockets and down the cheekbones. "I am alone."

"Don't say that," Rukia said softly, her own eyes holding back tears as she spoke with the hollow. "I know it's you talking, Ichigo, and I don't know if you can hear me, but you are not alone. You have never been alone, Ichigo." Tears began to fall from Rukia's amethyst irises, flooding over her eyelids which could no longer contain them. "Don't you remember what I told you when we fought that hollow two years ago? I will tell you again; if you get hurt, I will support you. If you can't move, then I'll fight in your place. If you're in pain, I will be here to bear your pain. We are friends, Ichigo... And more than that, I..." Rukia bit her lip, hesitating slightly. She took a breath, trying to steady herself but the tears kept flowing freely from her eyes. "I love you, Ichigo!"

She wrapped her arms around the hollow, sobbing into it's chest, not noticing that, despite the remaining Kido on it, the hollow was reciprocating the actions. It uttered one word as its arms fell still again.

"Rukia..."

* * *

><p>The blade stopped in mid-swing, as did the entire world. Ichigo looked up as the world froze, hearing a voice; it was faint and echoing, but he could not mistake the voice.<p>

"...if you get hurt, I will support you... If you can't move, then I'll fight in your place... If you are in pain, I will be here to bear your pain... we are friends, Ichigo..."

_Rukia,_ he thought, his eyes fixed on the blade above him. _Thank you. I know I have your support, and that's all I need to win this battle._

The world shot into motion as Ichigo raised his right arm. His hand met the blade and wrapped around it, the black reshi around the arm flickering dangerously like flames in a forest fire, the wild, uncontrolled nature of the reshi startling the hollow.

"_**How did you do that?**_" it demanded. Ichigo stood, wrenching the blade back then throwing it and the hollow holding the hilt.

"This sensation," he noted aloud as blue energy wiped up around his torso, tearing into his shihakusho and leaving it as just the hakama untouched. "Is not death; it's Saiga no Getsuga Tenshou."

Before the hollow could react, a wall of reiatsu surged over it, forcing it to cover it's face to block the energy. When it looked up again, Ichigo had the same look as when he had fought Aizen; his eyes were deep red, the lower part of his face, torso and right arm were clad in grey-blue bandages, the upper-most on his face detailed with several short hollow teeth in the same colour. His exposed left arm became coated in black ink, tracing tribal markings over it, and his hair was laced with the same hue of pitch black and extended to his waist, forming a dark mullet behind him like a cloak. The hollow's eyes widened in disbelief.

"_**That's impossible!**_" it spat. "_**How is it possible that you can take on that form again? It was destroyed when you used it against Aizen!**_"

"And yet you survived," Ichigo said plainly. He vanished from sight briefly, and the hollow tensed up, expecting a head-on strike, only to be surprised when a hand wrapped around it's right wrist. "Nothing about my power was truly destroyed on that day; it destabilised and became a part of my inner world. You may have surfaced of your own accord, hollow, but the rest of my power needed you to destabilise the world again so that I could use it." The hollow jerked its hand away viciously. "Are you afraid?"

"_**Pah!**_" the hollow laughed. "_**Don't be so cocky! You may look like you have Saiga no Getsuga Tenshou, but there's no way in hell that your body could be able to withstand it with your injuries! What you wield is a mockery of that power, and nothing more!**_"

"Is that so?" a voice whispered in the hollow's ear before Ichigo's reshi-clad right fist slammed into its back. The hollow cried out in pain as it stumbled away, turning around to face the assailant. "You would never be able to understand this power; a hollow who craves nothing but destruction can never understand what it is which means I am able to wield this strength, for it is something that you could never have."

"_**And what's that?**_" the hollow hissed, growing agitated. Ichigo's hand tightened as a thin blade of black energy conjured itself in his hand, raising his makeshift sword above his head.

"I have the support of those counting on me," Ichigo replied. "My wounds mean nothing as long as they are with me, my ability to move means nothing as long as they are on my side, my pain is nothing as long as my friends believe in me. Friends, hollow, are something which you can never understand."

Without another word, Ichigo threw his arm downward, a dense field of black engulfing the area and the two combatants. The hollow's screams of agony could not be heard as the blade cut through it, the power which defeated Aizen surging over it as it disintegrated into the blackness. A moment or two passed before the reshi field dissipated, leaving Ichigo holding the hollow's arm as it dangled below, the wound inflicted by Mugetsu too great for it to keep fighting. Ichigo began to descend, finally touching down upon the rooftop beneath him as the bandages flaked away from his face and torso, the black reshi still smoking from his arm. The hollow groaned in pain.

"_**Damn you, Kurosaki,**_" it weezed. "_**Looks like you beat me.**_"

"Let me guess, 'don't die before you come back again', right?" Ichigo said bluntly.

"_**Not this time, King,**_" the hollow replied. "_**I have used all my time to be a separate being; inner hollows can only try to take control for a set amount of time, failing to become solitary in that time seals us to our Soul Reaper; even if I wanted to challenge your dominance, I cannot any more.**_"

"Well, that's kind of good." Ichigo smirked, but his look fell when he looked around the inner world. "Wait, if you've been defeated, why is it this place is still decaying?"

"_**You used Mugetsu again, King,**_" the hollow sighed as it began to break down into shadows and join with Ichigo. "_**Your power, by rights, should be fading. Looks like we're both gonna die here now.**_"

"Dammit," Ichigo cursed. "There has to be a way out! I can't have come this far just to fail now! I have to get back to my friends, to Rukia!"

"_**Then try it, baka,**_" the hollow jeered, fading away fast. "_**If she means that much to you, then prove it to yourself!**_" With these words echoing, the hollow dissipated into nothingness, completely merging with Ichigo once more. The man grinned, then looked to the sky and leapt upwards, aiming for the eye of the storm above. He just hoped that he made it in time.

* * *

><p>Rukia's eyes opened as the maw of the hollow cracked audibly. She stared as the white hide began to peel away as if Ichigo were shedding his skin, revealing the man's mouth and the area surrounding it. Rukia knew what that meant, but something told her that it was not that simple, so, with the Kido around him fully faded, let her impulses take over, her being worn down by her emotional outpouring. She clasped Ichigo's cheeks and pulled him close, capturing his unresponsive lips in her own passionately, the rain pouring down upon the two of them incessantly. The kiss lasted only a few tantalising moments, but by the end of it, Rukia and Ichigo were both gasping for breath. Rukia gazed up at Ichigo, her tears no longer falling though the rain had doubled up in ferocity.<p>

"That was to show you the way back," she said breathlessly as Ichigo's hair blackened and the hierro began to crack along his body. "Now get your butt back here, Ichigo, you baka."

A moment passed as the hierro flaked away from Ichigo's body, leaving the upper body clad only in the bandages on his right arm and the black markings over his left. The hakama of his Shihakusho was still intact, but the tabi and sandals had been destroyed in the hollowfication. Rukia watched as the last part of the hollow broke away; the mask. A single black laceration appeared from the left cheek to the top right corner of the man's forehead. The eye sockets became lighter, revealing Ichigo's eyes as they eased open.

"Rukia?" he said weakly. Rukia smiled gratefully up.

"Of course, bakamono," she said, her voice laced with happiness. "Who else would put up with you like this?"

Ichigo chuckled dryly before reaching up part way to his mask, but he seemed unable to get it. Rukia giggled at this and pulled the right side away from Ichigo's face, revealing his red iris properly. He smiled softly at her as she removed the left fragment of his mask, running his right hand over her left cheek and leaving it there.

"I heard you," he said to her. "What you said when we fought that hollow before I lost my powers; I heard you say them again." He smiled as the last piece of his hollowfication was removed and fell away, breaking like plaster falling from a ceiling. "Thank you, Rukia, for reminding me why I fight." He winced as his reiatsu began to level out from it's hollow state. Rukia grew anxious in looks, remembering the sensation after Ichigo had stopped that last hollow two years previous.

"What's wrong?" she asked as he fell to his back. "And why do you look like that?"

"I... had to use it again," he said. "Saiga no Getsuga Tenshou." Rukia's eyes shot open wide. "I'm sorry, Rukia... I think this is it."

"No, you can't do that, Ichigo, not again," she replied adamantly. "You can't lose your power again."

"Don't think... I have a choice," he managed as his form changed back to normal, his eyes fading to brown from red. "I'm sorry for... for hitting you."

"It wasn't your fault," Rukia mumbled softly, kneeling beside his shoulder. "You've been through a lot, Ichigo. A rest, that's all you need. Just rest a while."

Ichigo simply smiled softly at Rukia and nodded, then allowed his heavy eye lids to slide shut. Rukia sighed sadly, noticing the barrier was coming down, and figured that the time limit which Hachi had spoke of when she had gone to the Vizards had expired. She soon saw Byakuya stood there, stoic as always, Hachi still sitting nearby. She stood and walked to the elder Kuchiki.

"I am sorry, Nii-sama," she said sincerely. "I will accept any punishment which you or the Head-Captain feel fitting for my actions when we return to Seireitei."

Byakuya did not respond for a moment, then reached down and placed a hand on Rukia's shoulder.

"There is no need to punish you, Rukia," he said plainly with a faint smile. "What you did was very brave, and I appreciate that it was the right thing to do. If either of us should be apologising for our actions, it should be me; I was wrong to attack Kurosaki as I did, and I respect your decision to carry out your actions as you did." Rukia was speechless at this brotherly moment, but recovered as Byakuya turned to Ichigo. "I see he has collapsed again; we had best return to the Urahara Shoten and monitor his recovery."

Rukia simply nodded and helped the noble move Ichigo away from the site and back to the Shoten. Hachi watched with silent interest as the two of them exchanged the sibling respect and carried Ichigo away. The Vizard could not help but smile at such an action on the stoic noble's part, and felt privileged, as he left for the Vizard hideout, to have witnessed it first hand. Despite this, he could not help feeling worried for Ichigo's condition, and curious as to whether he would lose his powers again, or be restored to his full self.

* * *

><p><em>I cannot believe how much spare time has gone into this, but this is the second from last chapter for this story.<em>

_Don't cry or anything like that, it's not going to be the end. Oh no, not by a long shot._

_You see, I don't think this title fits what I plan to do afterwards, especially now that the hollow has been defeated. So, I'm going to do that miraculous thing that so many authors do._

_Yes, I am going to be doing a sequel, ladies and gentlemen, but I am going to finish this one first._

_Anyway, review if you feel like it, tell your friends if they'll be interested, I'll be very grateful to you all if you do._

* * *

><p><em>Couple of notes about this;<em>

_First, the title comes from a song which some may be familiar with; it is part of the lyrics for the chorus of 'Animal I Have Become' by 'Three Days Grace'. I thought that this song matched Ichigo as he hollowfied, hence why the title came from this._

_Second, the idea for the scene with Ichigo and Rukia kissing comes from this picture on DeviantArt (remove the spaces in the URL to view it);_

_ hikarisen . deviantart art / MEMORIES-IN-THE-RAIN - 168013179? q=gallery %3 Ahikarisen %2 F24707542 &qo =16_

_I am not affiliated with this work (which is a shame, 'cause it would have been useful to have this level of skill for my Art GCSE :/ ), I just really liked it._

* * *

><p><em>Anyway, that's enough from me.<em>

_Bye for now, see you in the Epilogue._


	15. Chapter 15

_**Brief: **Just over two years after he lost his Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo starts being able to sense spirits again, but what else will emerge as his powers start to re-emerge?_

_**Spoiler Warnings: **Post 423: Farewell Swords_

_**Note:** If you are looking for the continuation of my After the Winter War series, this is not it! **This is separate to my other works!**_

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki (of course), IshiHime, possible others include ByaHis._

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **Thank you to every one who has read this story and thanks for all of the feedback you have all given me. To confirm, this is indeed the final chapter of Darkest Side of Me, but the story will continue in a new form. I have not started work on the chapter to start the new story, but if you watch my page or the Bleach Fanfiction archive, you will most likely find it._

* * *

><p><strong>Darkest Side of Me<strong>

**Final Chapter: Epilogue**

Ichigo's eyes clenched as he awoke, the sound of clattering wood and fragments of glass being moved filling his ears. The scent of tea was strong in the air, and his eyes slowly adjusted to the room around him. His body ached, and he wondered if it was because of his sleeping that he felt like that or whether someone had dropped something rather heavy on his chest. Ignoring the aches and pains he had, the orange-haired man sat up, recognising the inside of the Urahara Shoten, though his sleeping mat was amidst towering shelves and various assorted wares which the shop-keeper had stowed in the store-rooms.

His eyes widened and a hand went to his chest instinctively, but he could not feel the chain he had been expecting to be protruding from his chest. He breathed a sigh of relief before noticing he was in his body, not his spiritual form.

_So,_ he thought. _Does that mean I've lost my power?_

The door slid open, revealing Urahara there.

"Oh, good morning, Ichigo!" he said chirpily. "I thought I felt you stir."

"Urahara-san," Ichigo said, standing up. "How long was I asleep?"

"About twelve hours," the blonde man replied. "You gave us quite the scare when you changed last night."

_Twelve hours, _Ichigo repeated in his head. _That's less time than before; does that mean it hasn't happened again, or simply that my reiatsu was lower than before?_

"Now, Ichigo, about your order," Urahara said, interrupting Ichigo's train of thought. "I'm afraid the item you requested was damaged in the fighting between your hollow and Kuchiki-taicho. You have my word, we will try to restore it before too long, but I cannot guarantee that it will be. You have my sincerest apologies for this."

"Don't worry about it," Ichigo shrugged. "It's really my fault since I damaged the shop; I should be the one to apologise." He paused. "Can I see it before you take it for repairs, Urahara-san?"

"Of course," Urahara nodded, handing the item over to Ichigo, who had to take it in two hands due to its size. "Give it to Tessai when you are ready."

Ichigo simply nodded before Urahara left to oversee the repairs to the shop. The man looked down at the object in his hands and sighed, ashamed of himself for doing what he did to it, even if it had been out of his control. His fingers played with the frayed edge of the damaged seems, his eyes staring at the black beady appendages gazing blindly up at him, noticing a small crack in the left one.

"Ichigo," Rukia's voice sounded, making Ichigo jump. He scrambled to hide the object behind his back, trying to act nonchalant but failing miserably as she pushed the door aside and entered. Rukia cocked an eyebrow at his strange actions. "What are you doing, baka?"

"N- nothing," Ichigo stammered, trying to cover his tracks sharply, but Rukia was having none of it. She noticed his hands were held behind his back, which piqued her curiosity further.

"What are you hiding?" she asked.

"What?"

"You're holding something behind your back," she said bluntly. "I'm not stupid, Ichigo. Now show me what you've got."

"If you aren't stupid," Ichigo smirked down at the Soul Reaper. "Than figure it out yourself."

"Show me what you're hiding!" Rukia ordered, trying to push passed to see.

"No!" Ichigo replied quickly, holding one hand out to stop her approach. She growled and swatted it aside.

"Dammit, Ichigo, tell me what you're hiding!" Rukia demanded, before tackling her substitute.

Before he could do anything, the object was out of his hand and on the floor beside him, while he and Rukia fell to the ground in a heap, Rukia lying atop Ichigo, hands against his chest. She looked startled from the sudden fall, but quickly noticed the object lying not a metre away. The reached over and turned it over, letting out a gasp.

The object was a large stuffed animal, standing at just over a metre high. It had pink fur, a pair of small black eyes which glinted invitingly in the light with a nose to match. A small mouth shaped like a number three on it's back lay beneath the mouth, and above the features rested two long ears. The torso had a white belly, as did the ends of all four paws. On the base of the left hind-paw sat a gold star, and on the right was a small white rabbit's head. Rukia's mouth started to open, then closed as if she were speechless. Finally, however, she spoke.

"This is... a Chappy?" she asked, stunned that Ichigo would have such a thing. Ichigo sighed, smacking his head against the floor. "It's a Golden Anniversary Limited Addition Pink Chappy..." Her eyes darted over the damage to the left arm, which was barely hanging onto the torso at the shoulder, the cracked left eye, the tear in the right ear and the lack of a tail on the back, then to Ichigo. "Why would you have this?"

"It... was meant to be a surprise," he replied, sighing. Rukia gave him a confused look. "I wanted to get you something to say sorry for snapping at you when we were shopping. I guess I damaged it when I lost control of my hollow; you weren't meant to see it until Kisuke got it fixed."

Rukia was lost for words at this act of kindness, but she recovered quickly and hugged Ichigo, giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Apology accepted, bakamono," she said softly. Ichigo chuckled, hugging her back. Someone cleared their throat at the door, and Rukia felt Ichigo visibly tense up.

"B- Byakuya!" he stuttered. "Th- This isn't what it looks like!"

"Kurosaki," the noble said icily, entering the room as Rukia stopped hugging Ichigo and looked up at her brother. Stopping beside Ichigo's head, he repressed a smile as he saw Ichigo gulp. His eyes drifted to the Chappy beside his sister and nodded. "See to it that Kisuke Urahara has this sent to the Kuchiki manor as soon as it is repaired."

"S- Sure," Ichigo managed. Byakuya nodded curtly and started to leave, stopping at the door again.

"There is work to be done," he said, aiming his statement at both of them. "Perhaps it would be wise not to stay as you are now." With that, he was gone.

Ichgio and Rukia both raised an eyebrow, confused by this, and exchanged looks of befuddlement before realising that Rukia was still lying atop Ichigo. Both of them blushed, going a deep crimson, before parting and standing up. Rukia flattened down her Shihakusho and smiled lightly at Ichigo.

"We should..." she said, gesturing to the door.

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed, following Rukia as she left the room and walked into the wreckage of the shop's front.

The damage was clear, despite the efforts of the shop's staff and the people gathered there. Ichigo took in the damage and also the people around; Renji was moving a collapsed beam of wood over his shoulder, Byakuya was aiding the repairs by using Senbonsakura to break up the larger fragments or to dislodge fallen sections of the building from the rooms which were still mostly intact while Orihime used her Soten Kisshun to repair the damages to these rooms, Chad, like Renji, was using his considerable strength to remove the wreckage, giving Ichigo a thumbs up as he lugged a ripped-up door with a wooden pillar driven through it to the skip in the dusty courtyard. Ururu and Jinta busily swept up the shards of glass and splinters of wood while Tessai and Urahara took stock of the damages to the building and merchandise. Ichigo's eyes widened as he saw the debris and damage he had done.

"Hey," Renji said, coming over to Rukia and Ichigo, having discarded the beam into the pile of wreckage. "Don't look so gloomy; this place needed a remodel anyway."

"Renji," Ichigo said, noticing his uniform. "You made Captain?"

"Yeah; the Gotei 13 has been pushed for filling the missing Captains after Aizen's defection," he replied. "The Fifth and Ninth still don't have Captains yet, but we're working on that."

"I see," Ichigo nodded. He paused, then; "I'm sorry. If I had been in control of myself-"

"Don't worry about it, baka," Renji shrugged it off. "It's not like my arm's still missing, is it?"

"I guess you're right,"Ichigo conceded. "Even so, I wanted you to know I am sorry."

"I figured you would," Renji sighed. "You always were a pansy."

"Hey!" Ichigo scowled. "I'm trying to apologise to you, and you insult me? The hell is wrong with you?"

"It's unnecessary, baka!" Renji shouted back. "Now stop standing around and do something useful!"

The fuming red-head walked off, haori swaying behind him as he did so. Ichigo glared, grinding his teeth a while, then eased off with a sigh. He turned to Rukia.

"Hey, Rukia," he said. She looked up at him, acknowledging. "What happens now?"

"Now everything goes back to how it should be," Rukia said simply, turning away.

"I see," Ichigo said, his tone almost solemn. "I guess that means I'm going to lose my powers again."

Rukia's elbow met his stomach forcefully.

"Baka!" she snapped, seething. "Did I say that you were going to lose your power?"

"What?" Ichigo was confused now. "You said everything would go back to how it should be! You're making no sense; you're contradicting yourself!"

Rukia sighed exasperatedly.

"Look," she said, calming down. "You're powers don't seem to be following the same pattern as when you last used Saiga no Getsuga Tenshou; it appears that your reiatsu is stabilising from the hollowfied state it was in, and rather than dissipating as it did before, it is increasing just as it always has done." Ichigo blinked in surprise at this, but Rukia continued regardless. "It is estimated that it will fully stabilise in a few days.

"Nii-sama was ordered by Yamamoto-soutaicho to return to Soul Society with Renji, myself and you, but the state of your reiatsu has put this back by a week, during which time I will stay with you to oversee the restoration of your reiatsu and ensure that nothing goes wrong with it. In a week, we will be going to Soul Society, and I have orders to take you to the Squad One barracks."

Ichigo smiled faintly.

"I'm glad," he said. Rukia nodded. "Say, Rukia, there's something I've been meaning to ask you." Rukia looked up curiously at her orange-haired substitute, who seemed to be searching for the right words to say. Finally, he took a breath and asked. "When I was out of control last night... Did you kiss me?"

"Wha- What?" Rukia was shocked, blushing deeply. _Did he actually notice me?_ "Don't be absurd, baka! Why would I kiss a hollow?"

"Yeah, I guess that was a pretty stupid question, wasn't it?" Ichigo chuckled, laughing it off. Rukia laughed a little too, the pink flush over her cheeks still present.

_He's completely oblivious to what I said after that advice,_ she thought, slightly relieved but also rather disappointed by this turn of events; after all, she had finally plucked up the courage to tell him her true feelings, but he had no recollection of it. _I guess he will never change. After all, he is still the same tawake strawberry I met that night in his room; he just got taller and more confident in himself and his powers._

Rukia smiled faintly as they helped the others clear up the mess of the Urahara Shoten. The sun was high over the group as they worked, and, despite the fearsome events of the previous night and the dreaded being who had done the damage being ingrained upon their memories, none of them could have been happier; after all, they were all safe and with their friends.

Ichigo smiled as he hoisted up an armful of debris, looking over to Rukia.

_She's right,_ he thought, looking to the sky. _Everything is back the way it should be._

* * *

><p><strong>The End<strong>

* * *

><p><em>I hope that wasn't a let down; I plain suck at endings, but hopefully I did it justice (though that could mean the actual story was crap... : )._

_Anyway, as I said at the beginning of this chapter, there will be a sequel (don't ask for the title, I don't actually know what it will be yet), so keep a eye out for that._

_I haven't started on it yet, and I have quite a few exams in the next two weeks, plus work experience in the first two of July, so my writing time is becoming more constricted at the moment. Therefore don't expect it up too soon._

_Anyway, that's enough from me. Please let me know how I did here and what you thought over all of the story now that it's finally finished._

_Again, thank you to everyone who read this and gave me feedback throughout; you guys and girls are all awesome and I couldn't have done this without you._

_Goodbye for now, everyone!_


	16. NOTICE

_Hello guys and girls!_

_Before anyone complains about this post, the purpose is simply an update on the sequel of this Fanfic._

_Yes, I am still going through with it, so don't worry about that. I just thought it might interest you all to know that the sequel shall be called 'Bleach: Bonds Beyond Dimensions', for reasons which should come to light in the first chapter._

_That's all I'm going to say about it, so keep 'em peeled, and hopefully the first chapter will be up within a week (hopefully, but I'm going on holiday soon, so don't panic if it's not)._

_See you then (metaphorically)._

_Rertyan the Dark._


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